With thousands expected in Washington today to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War, scores of Marines – both retired and active duty – gathered Friday to honor an unlikely, little-known hero from the conflict.
In a ceremony where tears were shed and old comrades shook hands for the first time in more than half a century, they dedicated a life-size bronze statue of a horse.
But not just any horse, say many men who served alongside her during a desperate firefight in the last year of the war. This was Reckless – a Korean-born mare that the old leathernecks say was a comrade in arms who saved their lives.
She was bought and trained by Marines to carry ammunition and lived among them in the war zone. At first called Recoilless – in honor of the 5th Marine Regiment’s 75 mm Recoilless Rifle Platoon, which counted her as its own – the name morphed into Reckless.
“They taught her how to duck under barbed wire, lay flat in the open when caught in fire and to run for her bunker when enemy mortar and artillery came crashing down,” retired Sgt. Harold Wadley, a member of the unit instrumental in the statue’s installation, said during the ceremony. “Cold winter nights would find her nestled with her Marine buddies.”
The accounts of this horse’s bravery is truly amazing. She bonded with humans and they became her herd. how many American lives were saved because of the heroics of this horse named Reckless?
Further Reading:
Marines honor equine comrade from Korean War
Sergeant Reckless Statue to be Dedicated at the Museum of the Marine Corps
What a beautiful story. Animals deserve more than the way they are normally treated. She is a wonderful example of how close a human and animal bond can be.
Great story, and a great sculpture. Animals so often seem to give humans more than we deserve, although US Marines in Korea deserve the very best. That was one nasty conflict.
If I am not mistaken, our very own George Harris was a corpman in the Korean Conflict.