Other editions of book Reckless: Pride of the Marines

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.

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‘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.

Reckless: Pride of the Marines By Andrew Geer Introduction I first heard of Reckless shortly after joining the 1st Marine Division in Korea in June of 1953. I was told she was a beautiful little mare with the head of a thoroughbred, but my first reaction was that this was probably an exaggeration, as I had seen many of the horses from past service in the Far East and knew them to be the Mongolian type of pony. I was also told of her heroic behavior in the battle of Vegas. Some of the tales I heard were difficult to believe. I first saw this little lady, however, when the Division was in reserve for a brief period. After many, many months of close and bloody contact with the Chinese enemy, the Marines were given a respite from war. There was time to relax. A carnival was organized and a vast field was converted to an area where games of chance were operated. The profits from this venture were to go to Navy Relief. It was then that I first saw Reckless. I was surprised at her beauty and intelligence, and believe it or not, her esprit de corps. Like any other Marine, she was enjoying a bottle of beer with her comrades. She was constantly the center of attraction and was fully aware of her importance. If she failed to receive the attention she felt her due, she would deliberately walk into a group of Marines and, in effect, enter the conversation. It was obvious the Marines loved her. Within a few days of the carnival the 1st Marine Division went back into the line and once again Reckless performed with a courage and spirit that was difficult to understand or believe. Later, after the fighting had stopped, I was invited to attend a formal ceremony where Reckless was cited for bravery and I had the pleasure of promoting her to the rank of sergeant. Still later, there was another fund raising campaign in connection with the Iwo Jima Memorial Many ideas were initiated to promote competition among units to see which could raise the most money. Suddenly Reckless was "kidnapped" and held for considerable ransom. The news swept the Division like wildfire. Needless to say, her ransom was quickly forthcoming and the fund over-subscribed. 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Windham Press is committed to bringing the lost cultural heritage of ages past into the 21st century through high-quality reproductions of original, classic printed works at affordable prices. This book has been carefully crafted to utilize the original images of antique books rather than error-prone OCR text. This also preserves the work of the original typesetters of these classics, unknown craftsmen who laid out the text, often by hand, of each and every page you will read. Their subtle art involving judgment and interaction with the text is in many ways superior and more human than the mechanical methods utilized today, and gave each book a unique, hand-crafted feel in its text that connected the reader organically to the art of bindery and book-making. We think these benefits are worth the occasional imperfection resulting from the age of these books at the time of scanning, and their vintage feel provides a connection to the past that goes beyond the mere words of the text.

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