Reckless: The Racehorse Who Became a Marine Corps Hero

by Tom Clavin

"Tom Clavin's Reckless reads like a wonderful and inspiring combination of Laura Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit and Unbroken ."—Nelson DeMille, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

From the racetracks of Seoul to the battlegrounds of the Korean War, Reckless was a horse whose strength, tenacity, and relentless spirit made her a hero amongst a regiment of U.S. Marines fighting for their lives on the front lines.

Her Korean name was Ah-Chim-Hai—Flame-of-the-Morning. A four-year-old chestnut-colored Mongolian racehorse with a white blaze down her face and three white stockings, she once amazed the crowds in Seoul with her remarkable speed. But when war shut down the tracks, the star racer was soon sold to an American Marine and trained to carry heavy loads of artillery shells up and down steep hills under a barrage of bullets and bombs. The Marines renamed her Reckless.

Reckless soon proved fearless under fire, boldly marching alone through the fiery gauntlet, exposed to explosions and shrapnel. For months, her drive and determination kept the Marines’ guns blazing, while inspiring them with her singular charm. During one day of battle alone, she made fifty-one trips up and down a crucial hill, covering at least thirty-five miles in the heat of combat. On some of her uphill treks, Reckless shielded human reinforcements. The Chinese, soon discovering the unique bravery of this magnificent animal, made a special effort to kill her. But Reckless never slowed. As months passed and the enemy grew bolder, the men came to appreciate her not just as a horse but as a weapon, and eventually, as a fellow Marine.

In Reckless , Tom Clavin, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Heart of Everything That Is , tells the unlikely story of a racehorse who truly became a war hero, beloved by the Marine Corps and decorated for bravery. A moving reminder of the unbreakable bond between people and animals, Reckless is a powerful tale of courage, survival, and even love in the face of overwhelming odds.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Horses, Animals, Historical, Sports, War

320 pages, Hardcover

First published August 5, 2014

About the author

Tom Clavin is the author/coauthor of eleven books. His most recent is That Old Black Magic: Louis Prima, Keely Smith, and the Golden Age of Las Vegas.

His articles have appeared in Cosmopolitan, Family Circle, Men's Journal, Parade, Reader's Digest, and others.

He was a contributing reporter for the New York Times for fifteen years.

Reviews

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like horse-related books, so this one was right up my alley. I didn't know much, if anything at all, about the Korean War (even though Mom mentioned that I have relatives who had been there), so this book was informative in that aspect as well.
The book was well-written and easy-to-read, even though some parts of the book could be quite emotional.
Overall, an excellent read with a lot of historical details about a war not as many people know about, along with the story of a brave, fiercely-determined horse who would help her adopted Marines in more ways than simply carrying supplies. I would also recommend this book to horse-lovers and history buffs alike.

[Michelle Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had first heard of Sgt. Reckless years ago in, of all places, a Chicken Soup for the Soul book. She was featured several times throughout the book, and her stories were the most memorable from the entire collection. So naturally, I was delighted to come across this title while shelving at my library one day.

However, this wasn't exactly what I was hoping for. It's definitely more of a military history piece about the Battle of the Nevada Cities than it is about this amazing horse. Sometimes we would go a chapter or more with no mention of her whatsoever. I skimmed through most of the statistics, if I'm being honest, but I was truly amazed at the tales of heroism, bravery, and courage Clavin included. These were just boys, most of them between the ages of 19-22 (the "old man" of Reckless's regiment was 34), and their sacrifice was as admirable as it was heartbreaking. And of course, I soaked up any part of the book with Reckless in it with relish.

I connected the most with the tales of Reckless's first family, which really touched my heart. And towards the end of the book, I couldn't help but think there was something adorable about these generals who insisted on dressing up this little horse in blankets and medals and holding huge ceremonies and parades in her honor. I know she was a Marine, but what HUMAN Marine would ever get a parade with 1,700 Marines to celebrate their promotion to Staff Sergeant?

So somewhere under all the military statistics, there's a good book here that connects you with the humans who fought this war and the horse who served alongside them. I just felt like it was more written for men who enjoy reading about wars than I was expecting. I understand you need some of that to set the context for Reckless's story, but there were times when I felt like paraphrasing Dr. Malcom from Jurassic Park - "There will eventually be a horse . . . in your horse book . . . right?"

BUT BEFORE I GO.

I absolutely HAVE to address something, because it almost made me stop reading the entire book.

I'll start with the TL;DR version of this postscript: If you're going to write a book about horses, at least get the most basic terminology right.

For example, do you know what a mare is? And how it is different than a stallion? If you don't, maybe take three seconds to look them up in the dictionary before you include them in the book in such a way that indicates you have no idea what the heck you're talking about when it comes to horses. Here are some actual quotes from the book, along with the things I said out loud to myself while reading them:

Pg. 82 - "She was part stallion"
Uh. What? Does...does this author not know what a stallion is? That's either something a horse is or isn't.

Pg. 96 - "Reckless was . . . a mare, not a stallion."
Okay, maybe he knows the difference? Maybe?

THE VERY NEXT SENTENCE - "Pedersen may not have known that Reckless had been sired by a stallion."
*closes book, sets it aside, collapses in giggles* SURPRISE! Reckless' father was a MALE! Betcha didn't see that coming, did you, Pedersen?

AND LET'S FINISH THE PARAGRAPH WITH - " . . . technically Reckless was part stallion . . . "
*finger quotes* Technically.

This man either doesn't understand basic equine terminology or his mom needs to explain to him where baby horses come from. If anyone out there knows what the heck an author could mean by describing a mare as part stallion, I would love to hear explanations. I mean, I get it (sort of) if you have a proud cut/cryptorchid gelding, but still, "part stallion" is the weirdest possible way even to describe that. The nearest thing I could figure is that he thinks a stallion is a breed, but that doesn't account for his proper use of "Reckless was a mare, not a stallion" on page 96. So, I don't freakin' know. And I don't think Clavin does either. Just, look up the terms you're using. How that got past editors is beyond me.

Between that and John Boyne's list of Legend of Zelda red dye ingredients, sloppy research and sloppy editing is becoming my favorite unofficial form of comedy.

ANWAYS. Read this book if you like military history, but it's not really a must-read if you're a horse lover.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of a Korean racehorse that becomes a vital pack animal for a US Marine recoilless rifle platoon during the Korean War. It also gives an overview of the war. A good read for war buffs and animal lovers.

[Mom · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very well written and well researched. Otherwise, my rating would be lower only based on the fact that I abhor violence and this book contained an overabundance of it. I realize that it is based on fact, but I could not stand the amount of graphic detail. This is purely my opinion. I kept reading it because the story is fascinating. It's an excellent read, just be forewarned that it is hard to stomach.

[Kinsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book as an advanced copy. I had high hopes because I have loved reading tales of Seabiscuit and Man O'War. However, the book did not grip me with an emotional narrative and instead read more as a history lesson. Unfortunately, I was not able to connect with the story and characters as I had hoped.

[Margaret Buyas · Rating 5 out of 5]

the statue of Reckless is in Quantico base.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not at all the type of book that I'd normally read, but I won it in a giveaway so I thought I'd give it shot. I'm glad I did because it's a great read! I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't know too much about the Korean War, but I feel like this book widened my knowledge of the event a bit more. I went to a good high school, but history classes never seem to reach this close to the present (spent too much time studying Mesopotamia I guess).

Another nice part of this book is that it's 50% about Reckless's life and 50% about a specific battle in the war, so it's not just a book about a warhorse with no explanation to what was happening to the marines on the frontline.

[♞ Ava McKinley ♘]

Ok so this is a really good book about a racehorse who is soon sold to an American Marine when a war started. They basically had no choice but to retire her from her racing days and turn her into a war horse. She turned into basically a "legend" on the battlefield and yeah. This is a really great book for any of those who love stories of heroic animals and horses in general.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twenty pages in, I found myself wondering deeply why this book had such a high rating, considering that the first chapter felt as though it should have been an introduction that came before the prologue.

Fifty or so pages in, I started to think I was reading the Biblical book of Numbers -- only instead of somebody begat somebody else who begat somebody else, it was this guy died heroically, and this guy, and also this guy too, as though the author was desperate to document every single person who ever had anything to do with the Battle of the Nevada Cities.

Eighty-two pages is where most people had their biggest issue, where Clavin first uses the term "part stallion," to describe Reckless (many theorize he meant Thoroughbred). Personally, I was more upset by the switching from Imperial to Metric and back. Whichever one you prefer, you have to select it and marry yourself to it. Switching back and forth is a real rookie writing mistake that I didn't expect to see.

Over a hundred pages in found me still slogging through half-pages of someone being introduced by name and where they were from and maybe a few other magazine article-like points, and then an anecdote about something he did during the Forgotten War. No surprise, Clavin's favorite subjects were the ones who died in combat. I felt like he was trying to hammer home how much of a real war this was, but I mostly just got to where I was tuning it out. I couldn't get "into" a story in half a page, especially when I kept being nagged by the reminder that this was NOT supposed to be a book about the overall conflict, but a very particular character in it who seemed to be getting very little screen time.

Somewhere near two hundred, there was an over forty page portion in which neither Reckless, nor her handlers, nor even the weapon from which she took her name were mentioned even in passing. If the book had a different title, a different supposed focal point, it wouldn't have been so irritating. Make the conflict the focus, and all the little half-page sized stories about individuals in it would be far better received.

Okay, so where DOES the book get its rating from? My bet, it's in that last hundred - hundred and fifty pages, when the action really kicks in, and Reckless proves her worth, and the Marines fight every inch of the way to reclaim the "Nevada City" outposts. Finally it comes together and flows like a real story instead of a collection of notes for once. Finally, the author's heart was in this story instead of a million little side ventures. Finally, I couldn't put it down until it was done.

It's a tedious haul, with all the little side trips and summaries of the Forgotten War and the statistics and the battering readers about the head with the statement that this WAS a real war worthy of notice even if nobody seemed to think so at the time, and the sort of half-assed information on horses, and the possibly mostly fictional story of where Reckless came from (who knows? Nobody, that's who), and the fact that Reckless's original owner (a relatively minor player in the grand scheme) seemed more real than anyone else in the first half (certainly more than Reckless). But the ending is worth it, or anyway it was for me, and I'm thinking for many other readers as well.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may be the only fiction or non-fiction book I've read about the Korean War. What attracted me to it was the story of Reckless the horse. Tom Clavin does a good job for someone trying to learn more about this much neglected aspect of history. He gives enough background to educated the reader about the three year war while focusing on the Battle of the Nevada Cities in March of 1953. Ridges and hills were named after Vegas, Reno and others. As peace talks loomed in Panmunjom it was vital that UN troops including a heavy involvement from the U.S. keep strategic areas. Marine Second Lieutenant Eric Pedersen had the idea that a horse or mule might be trained to carry shells for recoilless guns needed in battle in the steep, rough terrain. He found a Mongolian race horse in Seoul and bought her with his own $250. Clavin provides the backstory of her Korean owner and the sad tale of what happened to them during the war. At first the horse was named Recoilless after the guns but this soon became Reckless. Pedersen and others trained her to carry the shells and negotiate the hillsides some of which were at a 45 degree angle while experiencing the sounds and smells of battle gunfire. Over a two day period this tough little horse made over 50 trips up the slope delivering first six shells and then eight each time to the gunners. They figured she carried more than 9,000 lbs on her back while traveling roughly 35 miles. They also loaded her with wounded on the way back down. She knew what to do scrambling up the hill exhausting her handlers who were left behind. Thankfully, she received only minor shrapnel wound. This was the height of her Marine service although she had sporadic service before and after this major battle. The U.S. press did not pay a lot of attention to the Korean War in part because gains or losses did not seem that major after the huge campaigns of WWII. How horrific that must have been to the families of the 36,000 U.S. casualties. The book makes clear the horrors of war for the U.S., the Koreans, the U.N. troops and the Chinese Communists who continued to send wave after wave of their troops into battle. Reckless was a novelty and inspiration for the troops. Since she lived among the men, she seemed to think she was one of them wandering into tents, eating their food, and drinking all kinds of human beverages. Make no mistake though, the men took care to provide her with hay, grain and a protected pasture. After the truce and establishment of the demilitarized zone which exists to this day, there was a movement to bring Reckless to the U.S. She had a home at Camp Pendleton and eventually had several foals. She was a U.S. heroine at the time but the story was somewhat forgotten until the mid 2000s when a statue of her was unveiled at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. She is perhaps the greatest war horse of all time.

[Walt Kowalczyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently finished RECKLESS and it's a remarkable story about a remarkable animal. A Mongolian sorrel mare who so earned the respect of the Marines that she served with, that she was regarded by them as every bit a Marine as they were. The Korean War is often called “The Forgotten War”, after reading this I feel it should probably be called the “Unknown War”. Have you ever heard of the “Battle of the Nevada Cities”? I hadn’t. It was a four day battle in March of 1953 that is regarded as one of, if not the, fiercest battle of that war and equal to many of the hardest fought battles in the Pacific Theater in WWII. It was that battle in which Reckless won two Purple Hearts in combat and the undying admiration of her “fellow” Marines. Today there is a bronze statue of her at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. As you can tell I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to all. You’ll come away not only loving Reckless, but with an increased level of respect for Marines, no matter how highly you may already hold them.

[Elizabeth Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not quite what I was expecting. This book is more for war history buffs not so much animal lovers like myself. The author took the opportunity to use this book to dedicate recognition to a "forgotten war" and the men who served in it. While that in of itself is a noble thing, that left a lot of chapter without the horse in them at all. As someone who is not a history or war buff, it was difficult to fully comprehend and appreciate the war lingo and significance. Also as someone who shies away from war books, it was difficult to read the brutality of war and what suffering the men in arms face. I would say it isn't a bad book, but it more for people who enjoy reading war and history books.

[Darcie Edak · Rating 4 out of 5]

For someone who reads a number of historical nonfiction and war books, I felt the writing style was not too technical and the storyline was easy to follow. This story is definitely a feel-good one, and I found myself becoming attached to Sgt. Reckless. The writer doesn't dwell too much on the humans and rather chooses to develop Reckless's personality, which I appreciated. The only reason I gave this book 4 rather than 5 stars was because even though the book was shorter, I didn't feel the urge to finish it in a day. I loved the writing and the story, though - thank you for this insight to Marine Corps history!

[Nila Novotny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this mainly because my dad fought in the Korean war...... and I like horses. The problem was that there was a little too much detail about the fighting (all factual it seems) but since I don't have a really good picture of that war I missed some of the significance of it all. The book bogged down in all the fighting. The story of the horse, Reckless, was the highlight of the book. The horse belonged to a Korean peasant who serendipitously came to own the horse after getting a job at the track. That was the most interesting part of the book. I'm glad I read it, but you could probably skip some of the military scenes.

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall the book was good. I do think the very beginning of the book detailing the early years of the war got a little boring and could have been shorter.
I’m afraid neither Mr Calvin nor his editor knew much about horses. In one line he writes “She was part stallion, but in every other aspect she was a Mongol mare and thus came from especially sturdy stock”. I’m sure what he thought he was writing was Thoroughbred. However, he makes the same mistake two or three more times. I don’t understand how this was never corrected before the book went to print.

[Chad Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea of the story is fascinating, however the author writes the book in a way that makes everything seem like a true story. At the end of the book, the author admits that most of the backstory is fiction. The benefit of the book is that it brings to light a remarkable war hero and many events of a war that is not often studied. I feel like this book has one foot in fiction and one foot in true story, which limited my emotional appeal to the story overall. The non-fiction portions of accounts of Reckless are compelling, interesting, and moving.

[Lisa Stethem · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a Korean War book and maneuvers this is a good book. As a book about Sgt. Reckless, it is terrible. The writer knows nothing about horses and only about 3 chapters focus in Reckless. There is one paragraph that almost made me close the book. Saying that Pederson didn’t realize that Reckless was sired by a stallion was the dumbest thing I’ve read. Right before he wrote that Reckless was part stallion... be your own judge but if you have any interest in horses, this is not the book for you

[Katie Barefoot · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reviews of this book don’t do it justice. Tom Clavin is first and foremost a historian, and the book reads as such. My curiosity was first piqued from the statue of Reckless on Camp Pendleton, and I’m glad that her feat and a large overview of the Korean War were written down. Although there is decidedly less humor in this than I’m used to from the author’s works, this was still an enjoyable read. Honestly, not sure why this isn’t a movie.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave this book one star more than I normally would have because Reckless was such a remarkable horse. I read this book because I wanted to know more about Reckless, but this was too much about the war and too little about the horse. This author may write fine books about military history but his knowledge of horses is greatly lacking. If you want a well-written, well-informed book about Reckless herself I highly recommend Robin Hutton’s book “Sgt. Reckless” instead.

[Mike Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this as a gift, not something I would have picked for myself. Glad I got it, it's and excellent read!! It's a much a story of the Marines and their ingenuity as it is about Reckless. She was an amazing horse and it goes to show how dedicated men and animals can be to each other. I really recommend it!!

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reckless was an amazing horse and so were the soldiers who bought, and trained and worked with her. The details of the Korean war were a little hard for me to take, brought the horrors of war a little too close to home. But the book was well written and worth reading. A chapter of the war that we never heard anything about.

[marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

amazing story of the Korean family race horse who became a member of a marine platoon and a war hero...... A big heart and the strength of a horse big than his size. loved by all those that came to one him...... wonderful that this horse was recommended for his=gh esteem that wa deserved.
A story that also depicted how brutal the (forgotten) Korean War wa and how important it was.

[Liberty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, its a book about a horse, but it's also about the Marines during the Korean War... so we can be happy any enjoy it

It has some slower parts... but the description if the Battle for the Nevada mountains is fantastic and extremely educational.

[Echo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I fucking hate this book with a burning passion. It’s so slow and so boring. The majority of the book doesn’t even talk about Reckless!! I only finished this book through sheer will and determination.

[Nancy Shaffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book about a sorrel mare who truly turned the tide during the Korean War. A history book of a war I knew very little about. First rate! A winner.

[Lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartwarming & wrenching. Haven't teared up this much since Old Yeller.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only a great biography of a brave horse, but an inspiring and sobering look at the Korean War.

[Sarah Gallini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and informative story about an amazing horse. I knew about Reckless before reading this book but it was interesting to hear the stories about the men that fought with her as well.

[Ron Geekemeritus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not know this story. Who thought a biography of a horse would be so good!

[HollyMay · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. More about the war and not enough about the horse.