Books with author Andrew Geeson

Reckless, first published in 1955, is the heart-warming story of Reckless, a small horse whose faithful service to U.S. Marines during the Korean War boosted morale and made her a national hero. The book is in two parts, with the first describing the life of Reckless and her owner, a young Korean boy. Forced to sell his beloved horse due to family medical needs, Reckless (then named Flame-of-the-Morning) was purchased by Lieutenant Eric Pedersen, who renamed her Reckless for the Recoilless Rifle Platoon, Anti-Tank Division, of the 5th Marines she’d be joining. Part Two describes Reckless' service with the Marines as she carried ammunition, cable-wire and other supplies to frontline troops. She was wounded twice in battle, received two Purple Hearts, and was awarded the rank of staff sergeant. With the end of the war, Reckless was brought to the United States and retired to Camp Pendleton until her death in 1968. In honor of her service, in 2013 the Sgt. Reckless Memorial Monument was dedicated at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Included are 14 pages of photographs.

Reckless, first published in 1955, is the heart-warming story of Reckless, a small horse whose faithful service to U.S. Marines during the Korean War boosted morale and made her a national hero. The book is in two parts, with the first describing the life of Reckless and her owner, a young Korean boy. Forced to sell his beloved horse due to family medical needs, Reckless (then named Flame-of-the-Morning) was purchased by Lieutenant Eric Pedersen, who renamed her Reckless for the Recoilless Rifle Platoon, Anti-Tank Division, of the 5th Marines she’d be joining. Part Two describes Reckless' service with the Marines as she carried ammunition, cable-wire and other supplies to frontline troops. She was wounded twice in battle, received two Purple Hearts, and was awarded the rank of staff sergeant. With the end of the war, Reckless was brought to the United States and retired to Camp Pendleton until her death in 1968. In honor of her service, in 2013 the Sgt. Reckless Memorial Monument was dedicated at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Included are 14 pages of photographs.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface.We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

‘America’s greatest equine war hero’ – New York Times Reckless was a remarkable war-hero. Born and raised in Korea, Reckless was flame-red, bred from a prize-winning race-horse, and discovered by American soldiers during the Korean War. The battalion of US Marines Reckless was assigned to fell in love with her at once, feeding her Coca Cola and beer as she became one of the guys. Not only did she boost morale, but she saved lives as well, and she was posthumously awarded the Dicken Medal for her bravery during active service. Sergeant Reckless, as she is now known, was a truly remarkable animal. One of Reckless’ finest hours came during the Battle of Outpost Vegas in March of 1953. On one day alone during the five-day battle, she made 51 trips from the Ammunition Supply Point to the firing sites. She carried 386 rounds of ammunition, walked over 35 miles through open rice paddies and up steep mountains with enemy fire coming in close to her hooves. She also carried wounded soldiers down the mountain to safety and unloaded them before she reloaded with ammunition and headed off back to battle. Sergeant Reckless retired from the Marine Corps on 10 November 1960 and died (aged 20) on 13 May 1968. She was buried with full military honors at her adopted home of Camp Pendleton, California. ‘A stalwart, sentimental appeal, for the unreconstructed horse lover old and young’ — Kirkus Review ‘In my career I have seen many animals that have been adopted by Marines, but never in all my experience have I seen one which won the hearts of so many as did this lovely little lady known as Reckless.’ — Randolph M. Pate, Lieutenant General, USMC, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, Washington, D. C Andrew Geer (1905-1957) wrote The Sea Chase, Canton Airlift and Canton Barrier, as well as Reckless: Pride of the Marines, which was first published in 1955.

2014 Reprint of 1955 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition. Not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. The story of "Reckless" is one of the most heartwarming ever told about a horse. Heroic and true, it is an endearing tribute to both man and animal, and to the inviolable bond between them. Born in Korea, Reckless is sold to an American marine during the Korean War. Reckless is trained to help them carry shells for the Recoilless Rifle which they have nicknamed "Reckless", and she is dubbed with the same nickname. Her antics and her insatiable appetite for such surprising tidbits as poker chips, coca cola, shredded wheat, scrambled eggs and her specially made blanket of red silk bring amusement and relief to the soldiers in combat. So completely does Reckless capture the hearts of her marine comrades that they present her with a special citation for bravery, promote her to the rank of sergeant and personally pay her way to the U.S. where she enjoys a well-earned retirement in Camp Pendleton, California.

Reckless, first published in 1955, is the heart-warming story of Reckless, a small horse whose faithful service to U.S. Marines during the Korean War boosted morale and made her a national hero. The book is in two parts, with the first describing the life of Reckless and her owner, a young Korean boy. Forced to sell his beloved horse due to family medical needs, Reckless (then named Flame-of-the-Morning) was purchased by Lieutenant Eric Pedersen, who renamed her Reckless for the Recoilless Rifle Platoon, Anti-Tank Division, of the 5th Marines she’d be joining. Part Two describes Reckless' service with the Marines as she carried ammunition, cable-wire and other supplies to frontline troops. She was wounded twice in battle, received two Purple Hearts, and was awarded the rank of staff sergeant. With the end of the war, Reckless was brought to the United States and retired to Camp Pendleton until her death in 1968. In honor of her service, in 2013 the Sgt. Reckless Memorial Monument was dedicated at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Included are 14 pages of photographs.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.