In 1952, a young Korean sold his beloved race horse Ah Chim Hai (Flame in the Morning) to the U.S. Marines so he could purchase a prosthetic leg for his sister, who lost hers to a land mine. The Marines renamed the mare Reckless. She was very friendly with the troops, sharing their rations, entering their quarters, and snuggling with them on cold nights. Reckless' appetite was famous, as she loved candy, beer, eggs, and coffee, anything the Marines ate, and would even eat poker chips or a hat if she was feeling stubborn.
Reckless was used to carry ammunition. Her finest hour came during the five-day Battle of Outpost Vega in March of 1953, when she made 51 trips to the front in just one day -most of them unaccompanied- to ferry ammunition in and wounded Marines out. That was a total of 9,000 pounds of ammunition and over 35 miles of walking, under enemy fire. Reckless was wounded twice, but kept going.
For her bravery, Reckless was promoted to Sergeant. She was eventually awarded two Purple Hearts and a slew of other medals. After the war, Sgt. Reckless was shipped to the U.S. She arrived in San Francisco on November 10, 1954, the Marine Corps birthday, and was feted at the Marine Corps Birthday Ball that evening, where she ate both the cake and the flowers. Just before a parade was held for her promotion, she ate her custom-made blanket, and a substitute had to be constructed quickly to hold her medals. Sgt. Reckless lived peacefully at Camp Pendleton until her death in 1968.
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I had not heard of Reckless until this article...I have now purchased a book about her and look forward to learning more. Thanks for another great article!
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Just to clarify one point, she was called "Reckless" as a play on words for the M-40 105MM "RECOILESS" rifle that she carried ammunition for. That is the weapon she is standing by in the video and the rounds she has strapped to her side in the tubes.
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