In March 1953, a little chestnut mare climbed a shelled mountainside 51 times in a single day. Her name was Reckless, and she carried ammunition to U.S. Marines fighting for Outpost Vegas. On almost every trip, she made the climb alone.
It's hard to picture that day without knowing how Reckless came to be there. Her story begins a year earlier, with a stable boy at the Seoul Racecourse.
A $250 Sale at the Seoul Racecourse
In 1952, a Korean stable boy led his racehorse to Lieutenant Eric Pedersen at the Seoul Racecourse. He sold the mare to the U.S. Marines for $250. His sister had stepped on a landmine, and he needed the money for her prosthetic leg.
The Marines gave the small chestnut mare a new name: Reckless. Soon, she had to learn how to live and work among them.
Reckless Goes Through Hoof Camp
The Marines called her training "hoof camp." Reckless learned to step over communication wire and barbed wire. When shelling began, she learned to lie flat. At the shout of "incoming," she knew to take cover.
She became comfortable in the Marines' tents, too. Reckless walked in and slept beside them. She also developed a taste for scrambled eggs, pancakes, Coca-Cola, Hershey bars, and beer.
Those camp days gave way to a far harder test in March 1953.
Outpost Vegas: The Climb No Vehicle Could Make
The battle for Outpost Vegas was later called unequaled in Marine Corps history for its savagery. Twenty-eight tons of bombs turned the ridge into smoking rubble, while enemy fire came in at 500 rounds a minute.
The Marines' recoilless rifles were using up their ammunition. They needed more shells uphill, but no vehicle could climb the steep slope to bring them. Reckless could.
As the Marine Corps account of Reckless at Outpost Vegas recounts, she made 51 trips in a single day. She climbed a 45-degree mountainside, crossing open rice paddies in full view of enemy gunners. For almost every trip, she had no handler and no lead rope.
By day's end, Reckless had hauled 386 rounds and more than 9,000 pounds of ammunition uphill. She had walked more than 35 miles. On her way down, she carried wounded Marines to safety. Then she took on more shells and headed back up.
On one trip, Reckless was draped in flak jackets and used her own body to shield four pinned-down Marines along the trail. Shrapnel struck her twice, once above the eye and once in her left flank. She kept walking.
From Battlefield Corporal to Staff Sergeant
Reckless received two Purple Hearts and a battlefield promotion to corporal. Later, the Marines gave her the rank of staff sergeant in a formal ceremony. She wore a red-and-gold blanket bearing her medals.
The Marines who fought beside her knew how much work she had done. She carried their ammunition through enemy fire, brought wounded men back down, and kept going after she was hit.
The Marine They Remembered
A horse can be hardworking and loyal. At Outpost Vegas, Reckless also protected the Marines beside her when they were pinned down. The men who fought with her spoke plainly about what that meant to them.
"She wasn't a horse. She was a Marine."
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