It’s Halloween time, which means it is also the time of Dia de los Muertos, “Day of the Dead.” This multi-day holiday is not the Mexican-American version of Halloween, though it coincides in time. It focuses on family and friends gathering to remember family members and friends who have died.
Dia de los Muertos at San Luis Rey Mission
The holiday is observed annually at the San Luis Rey Mission in Oceanside and I was among the thousands who attended the event on Sunday, October 30. The Southern California observance of the holiday mixes remembrance of the dead with classic car culture, in ways you’ll see in this short video (<10 mins), which also gives an overall view of the observance.
Sixty-four years ago, a Marine officer serving in Korea purchased a small mare to assist his recoilless rifle platoon. On Wednesday, October 26, the anniversary of that purchase, a monument was dedicated at Camp Pendleton to that horse, which had become America’s greatest war hero horse. This is a short video (<7 mins) I took of those ceremonies.
The Marines named the horse “Reckless,” a play on the name of the weapons they used. During one five-day battle, Reckless made 51 round-trips on a single day from the ammunition supply point to the firing sites, carrying several 24-pound shells and nearly always under fire. On the return trips, Reckless carried wounded Marines to safety. She was wounded twice that day.
Reckless was brought to California and was formally made a Sergeant in the Marines in 1954. She was promoted to Staff Sergeant in 1959 in a ceremony at Camp Pendleton that featured a 19-gun salute and a 1,700-man parade of Marines from her wartime unit.
A Life Magazine special issue included SSgt Reckless among America’s 100 greatest war heroes.
At Camp Pendleton, SSgt Reckless produced four foals before and after her “retirement” in 1960. SSGt Reckless died in 1968 and is buried at Stepp Stables on base.
