Sgt. Reckless: America's War Horse

by Robin Hutton

  Colonel Krulak was happy to intervene on her behalf. Yet even his best efforts failed to prevent bureaucratic stumbling blocks and assorted delays. Despite her valor on the battlefield, which saved untold American lives, some military bureaucrats evidently had a problem with providing a mere horse with “free” transportation—even if she was an acknowledged heroine and decorated noncommissioned officer of the United States Marine Corps.

  One such objector was Colonel Raymond Crist of the Marine Division of Public Information. Crist was one of several Marines asked to gauge the likely public reaction should Reckless be rotated to the United States. Crist’s hair-splitting written analysis to Colonel Krulak included the following:

  Marines who now have custody of Reckless are actually her legal owners, and they would have to be consulted before any action was taken to bring her to this country. Moreover, government transportation could only be furnished if this horse were owned by the Marine Corps. I realize that we possibly could buy the animal for one dollar, but I cannot see how we could justify the expense of transporting her to the United States for no other purpose than the attendant publicity. Even if we did overcome official objections and bring Reckless to this country, I am afraid that the publicity might be construed by some as Marine Corps assistance in the promotion of a commercial venture.3

  In hindsight, it seems unlikely that the public would have regarded the Navy’s transporting of Reckless to America as a squandering of taxpayer dollars, or as a shameless publicity stunt, or as a cynical, money-making scheme by the Marines who technically owned her. Yet at that time it was widely believed by those involved that, “the Corps would be laying itself open to censure if some junketing congressman learned of Reckless hitchhiking a free ride with the Navy.”4

  Precious Cargo

  When it became clear government transportation was not an option, the disappointed Geer telephoned Ernest Gibson, a family friend who worked for Pacific Transport Lines, a cargo operator. Geer explained the situation to Gibson, who asked, “Is that the Marine horse I read about in the Post? The one who carried ammunition?” Assured that she was, Gibson picked up the phone and, within moments, had Stan Coppel, executive vice president of the shipping company, on the line.

  “My kids and I loved that story about Reckless and we’d like to help get her home,” Coppel told Geer. “I’ll tell you what we’ll do: we’ll bring her home free of charge, if you’ll furnish the stall and pay for the feed.”5

  The irony in this flurry of activity was that while the Korean-born-and-bred horse had never set hoof on U.S. soil, she nevertheless was regarded as much an American as any of the Marines with whom she served.

  And so at last, this (sort of) naturalized citizen had snagged a ride to her adoptive homeland.

  Three Weeks That Shook Her World

  The Marines had three weeks to deliver Reckless to Yokohama, Japan, before the SS Pacific Transport shoved off for the states on October 22, 1954. Geer devoted himself to arranging Reckless’s transportation to Japan and securing other necessities, which included construction of a stall and enough hay and oats for feeding and bedding.

  When Major General Pate heard the news, his response was immediate: “I can’t tell you how delighted I am that Reckless is soon to be on her way home.”6

  But Major General Robert E. Hogaboom, commander of the 1st Marine Division in Korea, then passed along details of the plan to the Recoilless Rifle Platoon in Korea, which still had custody of Reckless. In a minor surprise, Hogaboom actually left it to those men to decide Reckless’s fate. The platoon voted to allow Reckless to be shipped stateside, but only under certain conditions:

  First, majority ownership of Reckless would remain with the RR Platoon, not Lieutenant Pedersen, who still owned a piece of her;

  Second, Reckless would be kept at Camp Pendleton;

  Third, any money she generated from public appearances or promotional events would go to families of deceased platoon members;

  Finally, her latest handler, PFC William Moore, would escort Reckless on the trip.

  Colonel Geer contacted Lieutenant Pedersen, then on duty at Pendleton, to discuss the horse’s disputed ownership. Geer found that Pedersen, “shared the feeling that the present members of the RR Platoon were being high-handed in the matter. As had been pointed out in earlier correspondence, none of the present membership had been in Korea at the time Reckless was purchased.”7

  Pedersen recognized it was not a good time to nit-pick, but to strike while the iron was hot. He promised to do everything he could to ensure Reckless was aboard the Pacific Transport. “It doesn’t matter who owns her,” Pedersen said. “I’ll transfer any claim I have to her for a dollar, but let’s get her home.”8

  But the bureaucratic snags and cross-currents continued. A mail subsidy contract between the shipping company and the government forbade Reckless’s handler, PFC Moore, from traveling free aboard the Pacific Transport while accompanying her. Andy Geer would not let that technicality stop Reckless from getting aboard the ship. He personally paid Moore’s way. There was still the logistical challenge, however, of getting Reckless from Korea to Japan.

  A Whole Lotta “Horse Shift”

  On October 12, 1954, General Hogaboom’s chief of staff asked the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing if they could fly Reckless from Korea to Yokohama, Japan. Up until then, they had moved jeeps, 105 mm howitzers, and every other conceivable load of war equipment. But horses? In fact, delivering any kind of livestock would be new for them.

  Luckily for Reckless, they considered the request a welcome challenge for their training program and for the R4Q aircraft—“the Flying Boxcar”—which had been the Marines’ heavy hauler throughout the Korean War since its introduction in 1950.

  Four days later, Hogaboom’s top aide heard back from the Marine Aircraft Wing. The response tucked a little wry humor within its arsenal of otherwise dry military jargon and bureaucratic gobbledygook:

  HEADQUARTERS

  1st Marine Aircraft Wing, FMF

  c/o Fleet Post Office, San Francisco

  16 October, 1954

  MEMORANDUM

  From: Chief of Staff, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing

  To: Chief of Staff, 1st Marine Division

  Subj: Operation HORSE SHIFT

  Ref: (a) CG, 1st MarDiv Memo of 12Oct54

  (b) CG, 1st MAW disp 130745Z Oct54

  (c) MarCorps GO No. 111

  1. Your request contained in reference (a) has been approved as indicated by reference (b). Certain personnel, logistical and medical details related to subject operation may have been overlooked by members of your staff and are cited for your action:

  a. Reference (a) failed to specify the sex of the passenger. It should be remembered that regulations require that female passengers in Naval aircraft must be suitably clothed in a trouser type uniform. Male passengers must be in the uniform of the day (ribbons optional). All passengers must wear dog tags and must be sober.

  b. In-flight box lunches are not furnished for passengers by this command. Present rations (Army common) do not include food fit for a horse. Recommend advice be obtained from the Army’s First Cavalry Division.

  c. Although the responsibility for loading has been assumed by your headquarters, certain in-flight unloading problems must be anticipated. Responsibility for solution of these problems must naturally be assumed by you. A HORSE SHIFT Liaison Officer (hereafter referred to as DUNG-HO) is recommended.

  d. Close coordination between the pilot and DUNG-HO is required in this matter. Provisions must also be made for inspection by the Neutral Nations Inspection Team on return to Korea.

  e. Medical regulations require that passengers returning to CONUS must be dewormed and de-malariaized prior to departure. Compliance is requested in subject case.

  f. Passengers riding in the R4Q aircraft are required to don parachute harnesses prior to flight. This promises to be a difficult task, but the ingenuity of your staff is being counted on to find a solutio
n.

  2. It is noted that paragraph 2 of reference (a) makes mention of precautions to insure safety of the animal in flight. While the sympathies of this command are solidly with

  Reckless, it must be remembered that the pilot will also be interested in maintaining the structural integrity of his aircraft. Therefore a horse adrift will be viewed with disfavor, and in case of unforeseen events he (or she) must be warned to stand clear of the pilots’ compartment.

  (Signed)

  E. A. MONTGOMERY

  Chief of Staff9

  Operation Horse Shift had begun. It looked like Reckless finally would be joining her friends back in the States. Now, the hard part: saying goodbye.

  Halftime Ceremony, Fulltime Heroine

  On October 17, 1954, Reckless’s rotation ceremony took place during halftime of a football game between the 7th Army Division and the 1st Marine Division. Accompanied by a drum and bugle corps, she was paraded before the troops in a moving ceremony that acknowledged her unique contributions and allowed Reckless a chance to say farewell to the men.

  The division adjutant read the farewell citation:

  General Hogaboom, officers and men of the 1st Marine Division, guests and Sergeant Reckless, Pride of the Marines.

  Reckless began her career in the Marine Corps in October, 1952, when she was purchased in Seoul by the 75 mm Recoilless Rifle Platoon of the Anti-Tank Company, 5th Marines. Her boot camp was different from that of the ordinary Marine; she was trained to carry seventy-five Recoilless Rifle ammunition during actual combat. For outstanding conduct during this period, she was promoted to the rank of corporal.

  It was in the battle for the Outpost Vegas that Reckless proved her merit as a Marine. With enemy artillery and mortar rounds coming in at the rate of 500 a minute, she carried 75 mm shells into the front lines. Each yard was a passage under fire. Reckless made a total of fifty-one trips to the outpost during the Battle for Vegas to keep the guns supplied with ammunition.

  Disregard for her own safety and conduct under fire were an inspiration to the troops and in keeping with the highest traditions of the Naval Service.

  Corporal Reckless received her Meritorious Promotion to sergeant on April 10, 1954. The citation reads in part, “Corporal Reckless performed the duties of ammunition carrier from October, 1952, to July 27, 1953, in a superb manner. Reckless’ attention and devotion to duty make her well qualified for promotion to the rank of sergeant. Her absolute dependability while on missions under fire contributed materially to the success of many battles.”

  Reckless stands proudly beside PFC William Moore at her rotation ceremony. Camp Pendleton Archives

  Rotation to the United States is her due and in a few days she will be on her way to Camp Pendleton . . . home of the 1st Marine Division. Good luck, Sergeant Reckless and bon voyage.10

  The men standing at attention had to wonder what was going through Reckless’s mind at that moment. How much did she intuitively grasp of what was happening? After all, this particular horse had always seemed supernaturally attuned to the people and circumstances around her. Did she understand the surrounding pomp reflected more than just respect and affection? That it also meant she soon would be leaving behind her comrades-in-arms for a long voyage to a new homeland, one she had served with pluck, skill, and almost unimaginable valor? She probably had at least a vague idea that she was being honored. She was quick to recognize human appreciation. The Marines dedicated the game to her—and won, 23 to 7.

  Reckless’s life in her native Korea was over. Soon she would join her friends in the “land of the free and the home of the brave” which also happened to be the “land of plenty,” which for Reckless meant plenty of ice cream, candy, cokes, beer, and good times. She was about to embark on a new adventure, but first, she had to get to the embarkation point, an adventure in itself.

  PART II

  A HERO’S JOURNEY

  Californians are proud to join with our United States Marines in welcoming Sergeant Reckless home from Korea.

  —California governor Goodwin J. Knight State Proclamation

  CHAPTER 10

  AMERICA-BOUND

  Sergeant Reckless, the fabulous horse of the Marine Corps with a fantastic war record, is coming home . . .

  —Newspaper columnist Louella Parsons Louella Parsons on Hollywood

  Almost two years to the day from Reckless’s forced conscription, Operation Horse Shift began in earnest. On Friday, October 22, 1954, Reckless undertook the long voyage to her new homeland. While she didn’t take kindly to the first leg—the flight from Korea to Japan—she was happy to board the SS Pacific Transport V/36E with her “date,” PFC William Moore.

  The Marines furnished a four-by-ten foot portable stall with a sloping roof seven-and-a-half feet high in the front, slightly shorter in the back, with room enough for oats, hay, and her bed. The stall was placed up on deck to provide plenty of fresh air. The hope was the fresh, salty sea air would help her to avoid another bout of seasickness.

  Colonel Geer spread the word quickly to (recently promoted) Lieutenant General Pate, Lieutenant Eric Pedersen, Gunny Sergeant Joe Latham, Sergeant Elmer Lively, and PFC Monroe Coleman that Reckless was on her way. Pedersen and Lively, already stationed at Camp Pendleton, arranged to meet Reckless in San Francisco with a trailer for the nearly five-hundred-mile drive south to her new home.

  Joe Latham excitedly called Pedersen from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where he was stationed, to say he would do everything possible to be there for her arrival. Monroe Coleman, back in civilian life and living in Utah, said he could drive in for the event.

  But the welcome would be much bigger than that. Major General Evans Ames, managing director of the Marines Memorial Club, named Reckless the guest of honor at the Marine Corps 179th Birthday Banquet in San Francisco the evening of November 10, 1954.

  There was much to do to get ready for the celebration.

  Clearing Customs

  First and perhaps most important, Geer had to figure out how to get Reckless into the country. Reckless did not have a passport (most Marines didn’t, let alone horse Marines, because it wasn’t necessary for military travel). Ernest Gibson, his friend at Pacific Transport, suggested Geer call Clarence Ogden, his contact at the U.S. Customs Service.

  Like Gibson and millions of others, Ogden had read the Post article and was moved by Reckless’s story. He told Geer he could bring her in on the same orders that brought him home from Korea. All Geer needed to do was list her as special baggage. Or he could simply declare her value as being under $50 and pay a duty of $3.75.1

  Geer chose the latter option, adding with a smile, “But don’t let Reckless or any of her Marine friends know I put that valuation on her.”2

  Ogden also suggested Geer contact the U.S. Agriculture Department. As easy as Customs made things for Geer, Agriculture was just the opposite. For starters, they insisted on an on-board hoof inspection by a bureau veterinarian. The department also required a blood draw to be sent to Washington, D.C., for analysis, testing for two serious horse disorders—the dangerous bacterial disease glanders, and dourine, an often chronic venereal disease found mostly in Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

  Reckless was required to remain aboard ship or at the dock until test results cleared her—which typically took a week or more. Geer realized if Reckless couldn’t leave the dock, she would miss the banquet where she was guest of honor.

  Geer again sprang into action, contacting the Department of Agriculture in Washington to plead his case to Dr. C. L. Gooding, chief of the Animal Inspection Quarantine Branch in the department’s Agricultural Research Service. In a telegram, Geer asked if they could take a blood sample in Japan before she left port and airmail it to the lab.

  The answer: Request Denied.

  Geer was undeterred. After overcoming every other hurdle, he was not about to let paper-pushing bureaucrats prevent Reckless from getting off the docks and taking her place at the big party.

&nb
sp; Eventually, Geer won concessions for Reckless to attend the banquet in San Francisco. He also gained permission for Reckless to be transported south to Camp Pendleton, provided tests were negative. If either test came back positive, she would have to return immediately to Japan—or be destroyed.

  Star Treatment

  The news media jumped on the story of her impending arrival and attendance at the coming banquet. Among the first to report on Reckless was Bob Considine, a popular radio show host and syndicated newspaperman, who launched a welcome home campaign on the October 24 broadcast of his Sunday night radio show, On the Line. The next day, he followed up in his syndicated column, suggesting there would be overwhelming emotions at dockside when Reckless and her Marine friends were reunited: “There are sure to be tears, shared in by Reckless herself.”3

  When wire services got involved, papers around the country excitedly jumped on the story. On October 28, 1954, the Hearst newspapers’ syndicated Hollywood gossip columnist Louella Parsons—her once-commanding influence in decline but still potent—reported on a letter she received from Colonel Geer: “Sergeant Reckless, the fabulous horse of the Marine Corps, with a fantastic war record, is coming home.” She told readers Reckless would be pastured at Camp Pendleton and that “Andy” was writing a book for Dutton which he hoped to finish in five weeks. She added, “The story of Reckless would certainly make a good motion picture. There was never a braver Marine.”4

  Ed Sullivan had already been a television variety host for six years, but he still wrote the syndicated show business gossip column that had brought him to prominence two decades earlier. Sullivan wrote appreciatively about Reckless in the New York Daily News, then sent a telegram inviting the decorated war horse to appear on Toast of the Town, his weekly revue series that a year later would be renamed The Ed Sullivan Show: