CAMP PENDLETON – The tale of Staff Sgt. Reckless – a horse that Marines say is a heroic symbol of an often-forgotten conflict – by some accounts may be the greatest horse story ever told.
Efforts are underway at Camp Pendleton to raise funds to create a bronze statue of the highly decorated mare that is the only horse to be buried with full military honors at the base stables. The statue is to be similar to one unveiled in honor of Reckless in July 2013 at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Virginia. It was dedicated as part of a 60-year anniversary commemoration marking the end of the Korean War.
Robin Hutton, a writer from Camarillo, has been one of Reckless’ greatest fans, spending years piecing together memories and stories from Marines about the courageous mare that served with the 5th Marine Regiment in 1952.
Reckless was a small chestnut-colored Mongolian horse purchased for $250 from the Seoul racetrack by Lt. Erick Pederson, leader of the 5th Marine Regiment’s recoilless rifle platoon. In Marine jargon, recoilless rifles were known as “reckless rifles.” That’s how the mare got her name.
Hutton says the horse’s story is the “greatest horse story ever,” surpassing even the poignant stories of Seabiscuit, an undersized Depression-era racehorse, and Triple Crown winner Secretariat.
Hutton came across Reckless’ story eight years ago in “Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover’s Soul.” She was stunned she hadn’t heard about the horse before. She began researching and found only four references about her. Most were from the 1950s and ’60s. After that, Reckless’ story seemed to disappear.
Hutton was to have none of that. In 2006 she started a website and began tracking down Marines who either served with Reckless in Korea or were with her later at Camp Pendleton. She interviewed at least 75 Marines and in 2010 made a video that now has more than 1.56 million views. She set up a fan club. In 2012 she spearheaded the campaign for the monument at the Marine Corps museum and hired Washington state artist, Jocelyn Russell, to create it. Hutton remembers seeing Marines at the ceremony who served with Reckless choking back tears when they saw her statue. Hutton’s book Sgt. Reckless: America’s War Horse this week made the New York Times inaugural animal bestseller list.
For retired Marine Col. Richard B. Rothwell, president of the Camp Pendleton Historical Society, Reckless is not only a poignant reminder of heroism in the war but is part of his family legacy. He remembers his teen years and his father, Col. Richard Rothwell, then commanding officer of the 5th Marine Regiment, telling him stories about the horse.
After Reckless was purchased by Pederson in Korea, Marines put her through “hoof camp.” She was taught to lie down during incoming fire and pick her way through barbed wire. They also trained her to carry 57mm recoilless rifle rounds. She would later carry them and big spools of communication wire to the front lines. She learned how to memorize the trip without a handler, Rothwell said.
Reckless was no longer just a horse, she became one of them. She’d go to mess hall and eat pancakes with maple syrup and she’d hang out with Marines in tents and drink beer. Reckless earned more than her stripes and became a Marine during the Battle of the Nevada Cities, Battle of Outpost Vegas.
“In April 1953, the Chinese attacked the Vegas outpost that was 40, 60 miles north of Seoul and was a very strategic position,” Rothwell said. “The battle lasted for five days. There were lots of casualties. During one of these days, Reckless took 51 trips carrying ammunition to the front lines and wounded Marines back. She was wounded twice and she never stopped. It was such a heroic effort, her Marines made her a corporal.”
Later, she was promoted to sergeant because she continued to serve honorably and well. In 1954, the 1st Marine Division returned from Korea. Sgt. Reckless was put on a ship and arrived in San Francisco on Nov. 9. She left the ship on Nov. 10 – the Marine Corps’ birthday. This year on Nov. 10, it will be 60 years to the day that she touched American soil.
“Marines took her to the Marine Corps Ball at the Marine Memorial Club in San Francisco,” said Rothwell. “They put her in the elevator and when the door opened, here comes Reckless. She ate birthday cake and flowers off the head table.”
Sgt. Reckless was taken to Camp Pendelton. That’s where Rothwell’s father became part of Reckless’ story. He promoted her to staff sergeant (E-5). When she had her first foal, Rothwell’s father held a naming contest among his Marines. He didn’t like the selections and made himself the chief namer, calling the foal Fearless. Staff Sgt. Reckless would go on to have two more foals, Dauntless and Chesty. In 1959 Gen. Randolph McCall Pate, then commandant of the Marine Corps, awarded her a final promotion to staff sergeant (E-6).
She lived out her life at the base and continued to take part in regimental ceremonies until she died at nearly 20 years old on May 13, 1968. She never again had to demonstrate her bravery under fire. She was buried at Stepp Stables at Camp Pendleton with full military honors.
“She came to be the symbol of the real heroic actions in that difficult war,” Rothwell said. “She persevered and didn’t give up.”
“She is the exemplar of the Marine Corps motto ‘Semper Fidelis – Always Faithful’ and their attitude of ‘Leave no man behind,’” Hutton added. “And because of that, I like to say, ‘She wasn’t a horse, she was a Marine.’”
Contact the writer: 949-492-5152 or eritchie@ocregister.com or Twitter: @lagunaini
