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They Called Her Reckless
When the Marines of the Fifth Regiment's Recoilless Rifle Platoon acquired a small Korean pony to haul ammunition up the steep hills to the front lines, what they got was a real-life hero, Reckless, the courageous and indomitable warhorse who stood with her buddies for two years during the Korean War, saving many lives, raising spirits, and winning the love and respect of all who knew her.
She came on base in October, 1952, disrupting a softball game and capturing the attention of everyone around. Immediately named for the reckless rifles she would supply, she began life with the Marines as private first class Reckless. In short order, she was an integral member of the platoon, learning quickly to run into her bunker when incoming fire hit the camp, navigate the trails and hills on her own, and calmly accept the roar of the recoilless rifles at close range.
In skirmishes and firefights, and ultimately in the savage Battle for Outpost Vegas, Reckless showed her bravery and resilience. In that last bloody fight, surpassing all expectations, she hauled ammunition for three days and nights wherever it was needed. For wounds sustained, she was awarded two Purple Hearts. Ever the character, she also shared her buddies' C-rations and mess hall chow, beers and an occasional whiskey, and on cold nights, their warm tents. She was promoted to sergeant by the commander of the First Marine Division. Then, in late 1954, the men got their wish, and Sergeant Reckless sailed for San Francisco, a hero's welcome, and another new life.
Enhancing Reckless' story is an extensive selection of photographs of her time in Korea and, later, during her years at Camp Pendleton in California. Many of them come from the private collections of the Marines who knew her, and have never before been published. The contributions of some 60 Marines in all, who came forward to share their memories of Reckless, made it possible to tell her story.
She came on base in October, 1952, disrupting a softball game and capturing the attention of everyone around. Immediately named for the reckless rifles she would supply, she began life with the Marines as private first class Reckless. In short order, she was an integral member of the platoon, learning quickly to run into her bunker when incoming fire hit the camp, navigate the trails and hills on her own, and calmly accept the roar of the recoilless rifles at close range.
In skirmishes and firefights, and ultimately in the savage Battle for Outpost Vegas, Reckless showed her bravery and resilience. In that last bloody fight, surpassing all expectations, she hauled ammunition for three days and nights wherever it was needed. For wounds sustained, she was awarded two Purple Hearts. Ever the character, she also shared her buddies' C-rations and mess hall chow, beers and an occasional whiskey, and on cold nights, their warm tents. She was promoted to sergeant by the commander of the First Marine Division. Then, in late 1954, the men got their wish, and Sergeant Reckless sailed for San Francisco, a hero's welcome, and another new life.
Enhancing Reckless' story is an extensive selection of photographs of her time in Korea and, later, during her years at Camp Pendleton in California. Many of them come from the private collections of the Marines who knew her, and have never before been published. The contributions of some 60 Marines in all, who came forward to share their memories of Reckless, made it possible to tell her story.
195 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 30, 2014
A clear historical account of a remarkable horse and the Marines who loved her. Her willingness to serve, as told by the men who lived with her, will make you appreciate what Reckless and her Marines accomplished. This is a great story of a little mare--a real warmare-- who literally was responsible for saving the lives of countless men while in Korea. Her story needed to be told and Janet Barrett did a fine job!
March 18, 2026
A fabulous story about a horse that bonded with a marine platoon to help carry munitions to the front lines. and a story about how that horse was cared for and recognized for her outstanding duties in the Korean war. a very moving book and a good read for anyone who cares for animals and their contribution to man.
June 25, 2014
Some call the Korean War the Forgotten War but this story brings honor to those who fought, both human and horse. I learned so much about the war through this story about the little horse and her marine buddies. This story is a great read if you like history, horses, adventure, a happy ending or a hundred other reasons. I was motivated to read this book by two of my students who researched Reckless for their National History Day project. I'm so glad I did.
August 23, 2014
Disappointed in story as I thought the book was going to tell the story of Reckless.It was more about the war.
September 1, 2021
Considering that Andrew Geer's book about Sergeant Reckless was the lone authority on the famed war horse for many years, Barrett does a great job in making this a more personable tale of Marines and their horse. She points out the areas of Geer's book that she believes to be false (mainly the entire narrative of the horse's backstory), and fills in some gaps that Geer left out. From that perspective, I thought Barrett's work to be exceptional.
However, at 178 double-spaced pages, it runs a little thin. Looking at the bibliography, she has interviews with 61 people who personally knew the famed horse. That tells me that she either left a lot of great information on the cutting room floor, or didn't ask the right questions to get the better stories. With as many rich sources as she had, the length should have been much greater with more fabulous stories about America's favorite warhorse.
Four stars - five stars for the quality of the writing with one star deducted for being too brief. Still an important read for Korean War and Marine Corps history readers.
However, at 178 double-spaced pages, it runs a little thin. Looking at the bibliography, she has interviews with 61 people who personally knew the famed horse. That tells me that she either left a lot of great information on the cutting room floor, or didn't ask the right questions to get the better stories. With as many rich sources as she had, the length should have been much greater with more fabulous stories about America's favorite warhorse.
Four stars - five stars for the quality of the writing with one star deducted for being too brief. Still an important read for Korean War and Marine Corps history readers.
July 11, 2018
I don't read a lot of stories about war...but I do enjoy reading about love and horses! Found this at a library book sale & learned it was by an author from my state AND had been designed by a local couple. At the end, I learned that it had also been printed in state by a company using wind power! Bonus points for that. Anyway, most of what I knew about the Korean War prior to reading this came from watching M*A*S*H on TV...so not very much. This book provides an education about the war, about indigenous horses in Korea, and about the Marines. And presents it in a conversational style that makes it an easy read. Now I want to go to the Marine Museum in VA and see the statue of Reckless!
July 21, 2025
A remarkable story about a remarkable Korean horse (pony?) who served in the Korean War and helped the Marines carry large ammunition saving the men from doing that. Very brave animal who became friends with the unit, poking her head into their tents, eating their food, loved beer and sweets. Her bravery helped the men too.
She went back to Camp Pendleton to live out her life.
There is a statute of her at Quantico, the Marine museum.
She went back to Camp Pendleton to live out her life.
There is a statute of her at Quantico, the Marine museum.
January 31, 2021
This is not the first book I have read about Staff Sergeant Reckless. I will say that this one seemed much more personal in tone. It was not written as just a factual account but gave many more personal anecdotes about her, which I found much more enjoyable to read.
January 9, 2026
Reckless, the wonder horse
No, the book is about a horse in her Marines. It keeps you interested and wanting to know more about this amazing horse. I met reckless on Camp Pendleton in 1965 only knew a little bit about her, but this book brings her alive.
No, the book is about a horse in her Marines. It keeps you interested and wanting to know more about this amazing horse. I met reckless on Camp Pendleton in 1965 only knew a little bit about her, but this book brings her alive.
October 10, 2019
Very Informational and written well.
March 30, 2024
A different type of horse in the Korean War. Restless is a combination of horse , mascot, and friend.
January 24, 2026
I love horses and my uncle was in Korea so this story was interesting on two fronts.
May 6, 2022
A heart-warming story. I like that the author didn't apply human emotions to Reckless the horse. She described what made Reckless special using horse psychology i.e. her attachment to her Marines as a substitute for her herd.
I knew part of the story before I read this book but I didn't realize Reckless delivered ammunition up and down the mountains by herself with no human lead. That truly was amazing. The author did a splendid job weaving in the history of the Marines and the Korean War with the main story of Reckless' military career. Ms. Barrett filled a lot of gaps I had in my knowledge of Korean War history.
I knew part of the story before I read this book but I didn't realize Reckless delivered ammunition up and down the mountains by herself with no human lead. That truly was amazing. The author did a splendid job weaving in the history of the Marines and the Korean War with the main story of Reckless' military career. Ms. Barrett filled a lot of gaps I had in my knowledge of Korean War history.
April 14, 2014
A historical accounting of a remarkable horse and the Marines who loved her. Her willingness to serve, as told by the men who knew her best and lived with her, is nothing short of amazing. This is a moving story of a little mare--a true war mare--who literally was responsible for saving countless lives during the Korean War. Janet Barrett's novel will have you rethinking what you thought you knew about history's story. Pages of photos are an added plus to add a personal and very real touch to the lives contained within.
October 17, 2016
this book is very well written and researched going into great detail about this little warhorse. my only objection is that in the middle of a narrative the author would break off to give a full back story on a person or place. while it was all great information it made it difficult for me to stay involved with the book. for anyone who likes war history or stories about famous horses I would recommend this read.
June 22, 2014
Nice book ... story I had never heard of a horse in South Korea during that conflict and the affection and love between the Marines and her during battle and lulls made for an entertaining read. Also got some Korean War history, Marine history and other horse history and the author obviously did her homework before writing this. Nice Job and worth a read!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews