‘She wasn’t a horse. She was a Marine.’

reckless5Sixty-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.

reckless6Reckless 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.

You can find much more information about SSgt Reckless at SgtReckless.com and on Wikipedia.

“Under the sea”

Sea World in San Diego has been under a lot of pressure lately, mostly from people objecting to the manner in which orcas (killer whales) are kept there or even to that orcas are kept at all. Whether out of altruism or other factors, Sea World recently offered a free pass to active duty service members, veterans, and their family members. I took advantage of that offer. Dillon and I checked out a place we had not likely visited since we lived in San Diego back in the early ’80s.

We did not go to any of the “shows” at which orcas, dolphins, etc., perform. Apparently, Sea World has decided to change its orca shows so that they will reflect more of the animals’ natural behavior. I am acquainted with people who favor what Sea World does, including people who work with the animals, and those who oppose it. I went to Sea World to see animals, fish, and other creatures who live in the sea, and I found it fascinating. Here’s a video of our visit.

 

At the zoo

birdstare

As mentioned in the previous post, cousin Kathy and I went to the San Diego Zoo during her visit. Below is a gallery of pics from that tour. It’s hard not to get some great shots, considering the variety of animals and one’s access to them at the zoo.