Staff Sergeant Reckless (1948–68), a decorated war horse who ...

[(David P.)]

Staff Sergeant Reckless (1948–68), a decorated war horse who
held official rank in the US military, was a mare of Mongolian
horse breeding. Out of a race horse dam, she was purchased in
Oct 1952 for $250 from a Korean stableboy at the Seoul racetrack
who needed money to buy an artificial leg for his sister. Reckless
was bought by members of the USMC and trained to be a pack horse
for the Recoilless Rifle Platoon, Anti-Tank Co, 5th Marine Regt,
1st Marine Div. She quickly became part of the unit and was allowed
to roam freely through camp, entering the Marines' tents, where she
would sleep on cold nights, and was known for her willingness to
eat nearly anything, including scrambled eggs, beer, Coca-Cola and,
once, about $30 worth of poker chips.

She served in numerous combat actions during the Korean War,
carrying supplies and ammunition, and was also used to evacuate
wounded. Learning each supply route after only a couple of trips,
she often traveled to deliver supplies to the troops on her own,
without benefit of a handler. The highlight of her 9-month military
career came in late March 1953 during the Battle for Outpost Vegas
when, in a single day, she made 51 solo trips to resupply multiple
front line units. She was wounded in combat twice and was given the
battlefield rank of corporal in 1953 and then a battlefield promotion
to sergeant in 1954, several months after the war ended. She also
became the first horse in the Marine Corps known to have participated
in an amphibious landing, and following the war was awarded two
Purple Hearts, a Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, inclusion in her
unit's Presidential Unit Citations from two countries, and other
military honors.

Her wartime service record was featured in The Saturday Evening Post,
and LIFE magazine recognized her as one of America's 100 all-time
heroes. She was retired and brought to the US after the war, where
she made appearances on TV and participated in the USMC birthday ball.
She was officially promoted to staff sergeant in 1959 by the Commandant
of the Marine Corps. She gave birth to 4 foals in America and died in
May 1968. A plaque and photo were dedicated in her honor at the Marine
Corps Base Camp Pendleton stables and a statue of her was dedicated on
July 26, 2013, at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico VA.
On May 12, 2018, a bronze statue of Sgt Reckless was placed and dedicated
in the Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington KY.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergeant_Reckless