A Marine lieutenant purchased a chestnut Mongolian mare from a Korean boy at the Seoul Race Track in 1952 for use as a pack horse. So began the stellar military career of Sergeant Reckless, who won the hearts of the soldiers with her brave and steadfast service under fire.
In this excerpt from the upcoming KET documentary In Their Own Words: Kentucky Veterans of the Korean War, Paul Hammersley, a Korean War veteran from Bowling Green, talks about his experience serving with the horse.
The Marines used Sergeant Reckless to carry heavy ammunition to the front lines. During the Battle of Outpost Vegas in March 1953, she repeatedly crossed "no man's land," alone and unled, climbing steep mountain trails while under heavy fire. After the ammunition was unloaded, she then carried wounded soldiers down the mountains to safety.
Wounded twice herself, Sergeant Reckless received two Purple Hearts as well as other awards for her service. A statue at the National Museum of the Marine Corps and Heritage Center in Triangle, Virginia, honors her remarkable valor.