A monument at the Stepp Stables on the base at Camp Pendleton pays homage to a hero of the Korean War that is a different kind of war horse.
In fact, she is a horse.
Marines of the 1st Marine Division serving in Korea bought the little mare in 1953 for $250 from a Seoul race track. She was trained to carry ammunition up the steep terrain of Korea to the front lines and return with the wounded. The little mare did it by herself, under fire, carrying thousands of pounds of ammunition.
It earned her the name Reckless and the admiration of her fellow Marines.
During one battle alone she made more than 50 trips to the front. Reckless was wounded twice, but she never stopped going. For her heroic acts, the horse received the Korean Service Medal and two purple hearts.
After the war Reckless was brought to Camp Pendleton and promoted to the rank of sergeant. She lived in luxury at the stables and took part in ceremonies and parades. She'd put on her blanket with her medals and sergeant stripes and proudly stand beside her handler while the troops paraded in full dress uniform. Often Reckless would doze in the sun and was probably the only enlisted Marine who could actually sleep through a parade and get away with it.
Reckless passed away in 1968. A small granite monument was put up at the Camp Pendleton stables. But stable manager, Debbie McCain says few Marines today know about Reckless. She says the horse was a true war hero that has earned her place in Marine Corp history. There is a movement to try and get a monument to Reckless put up at the Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C. One author is planning a book and a movie about the horse.
