Sgt. Reckless: America's War Horse
Page 23
CHAPTER SEVEN
1.Personal letter from Bill Riley, April 12, 1953.
2.Personal interview with Bill Riley.
3.Personal interview with Bill Riley.
4.Bill Riley personal letter, April 29, 1953.
5.An earlier amphibious training exercise, MARLEX-XX, was staged April 13–17, 1953, and included the 2nd Battalion and units of the 5th Marine Regiment. However, the Recoilless Rifle Platoon was not a part of it. Rather, the amphibious exercise one section of the RR Platoon did participate in was MAR RCT LEX I, on May 7–17, 1953.
6.Personal interview with Bill Riley.
7.In his article published in the April 17, 1954, in the Saturday Evening Post, Geer stated the ship was “LSU Landing Ship, Utility-527.” However, in Reckless: Pride of the Marines, he referred to it as LST-527. Further research indicates that if the ship number was indeed 527, it most likely would have been the LST-527, renamed USS Cassia County following the Korean War. The vessel was among those used in the pivotal D-Day invasion of Normandy. It earned one battle star in WWII and two for Korean War service. However, what further complicates this research is that the Battalion Operation Plan 26-53 for MAR RCT LEX 1 states the ships used were LST 1096 (USS St. Clair County), LST 1084 (USS Polk County), and APA 208 (Talladega). So while it appears an LST was used in the landing, precisely which LST remains a mystery.
8.Battalion Operation Plan, Appendix J to Annex Baker to OPN Plan 26-53.
9.Eagle Trader is identified only by his rank and name in Andrew Geer’s book Reckless: Pride of the Marines, but he was, presumably, an American Indian thoroughly acquainted with horses.
10.Letter from Bill Riley, May 7, 1953
11.Andrew Geer, “Reckless, Pride of the Marines,” Saturday Evening Post, April 17, 1954, 31.
12.Geer, Reckless: Pride of the Marines (New York: E. P. Duttton, 1955), 189–90.
13.Command Diary May 1953, 2nd Battalion, 5th Mar Regiment, 5.
14.Geer, Reckless: Pride of the Marines, 191.
15.Ibid.
16.May 17, 1953, letter from Bill Riley.
17.Personal interview with Bill Riley.
18.May 27, 1953, letter from Bill Riley.
19.Pacific Stars & Stripes, June 9, 1953, 7.
20.Undated article from unidentified newspaper in St. Petersburg, Florida; among print articles collected by Joe Latham.
21.Ibid.
22.Sources vary concerning the number of rounds to be carried. The June 9, 1953, Pacific Stars & Stripes reported the handicap as, “half a load of 75-mm shells,” while Geer’s Reckless: Pride of the Marines stated the handicap was “eight rounds of 75 mm ammunition (192 pounds).”
23.Pacific Stars & Stripes, June 9, 1953, 7.
24.Geer, Reckless: Pride of the Marines, 7–8.
25.Ibid., 193–94.
26.Personal interview with Harold Wadley.
27.From a personal conversation with Don Menzies.
28.Charles R. Smith, ed., U.S. Marines in the Korean War (Washington, D.C.: USMC Historical Branch, 2007), 587.
CHAPTER EIGHT
1.Andrew Geer, Reckless: Pride of the Marines (New York: E. P. Dutton, 1955), 13.
2.Ibid.
3.Interview notes, Nancy Hoffman.
4.Geer, Reckless: Pride of the Marines, 197.
5.Ibid.
6.Ibid., 198.
7.Interview with Private Newsom.
8.Personal interview with Corporal Paul Hammersley.
9.From a personal interview with Corporal Seidel.
10.Hammersley personal interview.
11.From a personal interview with Bob Rogers.
12.From a personal interview with Private Newsom.
13.Personal interview with Bob Rogers.
14.From a personal interview with John Meyers.
15.Personal interview with Michael Mason.
16.Ibid.
17.Hammersley personal interview.
18.Geer, “Red Carpet for Sergeant Reckless,” Saturday Evening Post, October 22, 1955, 48.
19.Personal interview with Robert Pontius.
20.Geer, Reckless: Pride of the Marines, 8.
21.Ibid., 199.
22.R. R. Sims, “New Ammo Diet Gives ‘Reckless’ Loose Denture,” First Word, March 31, 1954, 2.
23.Personal interview with Robert Pontius.
24.Ibid.
25.Sims, “New Ammo Diet Gives ‘Reckless’ Loose Denture,” 2.
26.Geer, Reckless: Pride of the Marines, 200.
27.Interview with Bob Rogers.
28.A red and green braid with a metal tip, reflecting French recognition of the Marines in WWI. Worn on the left shoulder of service uniforms (not field/utility uniforms) of Marines serving in the 5th and 6th Regiments. Since Reckless was attached to a unit of the 5th Marine Regiment, she rated the fourragère; when Marines transfer out of the 5th or 6th Marines, they can no longer wear the fourragère.
29.For a description of each medal, see Glossary.
CHAPTER NINE
1.Personal letter of Bill Riley, May 2, 1954.
2.Andrew Geer, “Red Carpet for Sergeant Reckless,” Saturday Evening Post, October 22, 1955, 48.
3.Geer, Reckless: Pride of the Marines, (New York: E. P. Dutton, 1955), 203.
4.Geer, “Red Carpet for Sergeant Reckless,” 48.
5.Ibid.
6.Ibid.
7.Geer, Reckless: Pride of the Marines, 206–7.
8.Geer, “Red Carpet for Sergeant Reckless,” 52.
9.Geer, Reckless: Pride of the Marines, 207–9.
10.Ibid., 209.
PART II: A HERO’S JOURNEY
CHAPTER TEN
1.Andrew Geer, “Red Carpet for Sergeant Reckless,” Saturday Evening Post, October 22, 1955, 55.
2.Geer, Reckless: Pride of the Marines (New York: E. P. Dutton, 1955), 211.
3.Bob Considine, “Heroic Horse Coming to U.S.,” San Antonio Light, October 25, 1954, 8.
4.Parsons, Louella, “Louella Parsons on Hollywood,” Rockford Morning Star, Oct. 28, 1954, p. 33.
5.Geer, Reckless: Pride of the Marines, 212–13.
6.Ibid., 213.
7.Geer, “Red Carpet for Sergeant Reckless,” 55.
8.Ibid., 56.
9.Geer, Reckless: Pride of the Marines, 216.
10.Ibid.
11.Ronald Johnson, “Marine Sgt. Reckless Lands Here—On All 4,” San Francisco Examiner, November 11, 1954, 19.
12.Ibid.
13.www.marineclub.com, website of the Marines’ Memorial Club and Hotel.
14.Marines’ Memorial Association, Crossroads of the Corps 7 (November 1954).
15.Geer, Reckless: Pride of the Marines, 217.
16.Crossroads of the Corps 7.
17.Geer, “Red Carpet for Sergeant Reckless,” 56.
18.This information, from one of three scripts used during the ceremonial cake cutting, is on the official Marine Corps website, www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Docs/CAKE_CUTTING_SCRIPT.pdf.
19.Ibid.
20.Marines’ Memorial Association, Crossroads of the Corps 8, no. 1 (December 1954), 8.
21.Geer, Reckless: Pride of the Marines, 217.
22.Interview with James Taggart.
23.Interview notes, Nancy Hoffman.
PART III: LIFE AT CAMP PENDLETON
CHAPTER ELEVEN
1.Andrew Geer, “Red Carpet for Sergeant Reckless,” Saturday Evening Post, October 22, 1955, 56.
2.Geer, Reckless: Pride of the Marines (New York: E. P. Dutton, 1955), 218–19.
3.Ibid., 219.
4.Ibid.
5.Ibid., 220.
6.Geer, “Red Carpet for Sergeant Reckless,” 56.
7.Geer, Reckless: Pride of the Marines, 222.
8.Ibid.
9.Ibid.
10.Geer, “Red Carpet for Sergeant Reckless,” 56.
11.David Dempsey, “The Horse Marine,” New York Times, October 16, 1955.
12.Lyle W. Nash, “Book Reviews,” Pasadena Independent Scene, Oct
ober 23, 1955.
13.Marine Corps Association Archives, February 1958, 13.
14.Geer, “Red Carpet for Sergeant Reckless,” 56.
15.Ibid.
16.“Marine Association Buys Sgt Reckless,” Navy News, December 1955.
17.Ibid.
18.“We Buy Reckless,” Old Breed News 4, no. 10 (December 1955): 1.
19.Personal interview with Art Sickler.
20.Personal interview with Bill Riley.
21.Ibid.
22.Personal interview with PFC John Newsom.
23.“War Hero, Son Promoted during 5th Mar Ceremony,” Pendleton Scout (June 20, 1957): 5.
24.Ibid.
25.Personal interview with Colonel Rothwell.
26.Personal interview with Art Sickler.
27.“War Hero, Son Promoted During 5th Mar Ceremony,” 5.
28.Personal interview with James Taggart.
29.Neill C. Wilson, “Andy Geer: Great Marine, True Bohemian,” Bohemian Club Library Notes 2.
30.Ibid.
31.“Best-Seller Author Andrew Geer Dies,” Marin Independent Journal (December 23, 1957): 1.
32.Scott Vogel, “Convivial Pursuit: The Search for the Perfect Mai Tai Becomes a Labor of Love and Lore,” Honolulu Star Bulletin (June 10, 2001).
33.S. A. Erickson, “Reckless Brings Back Memories,” San Diego Union (July 31, 1966): 37.
34.Geer, “Red Carpet for Sergeant Reckless,” 56.
35.“5th Mar Back Home after 110 Mile Hike,” Pendleton Scout (March 13, 1958): 8.
36.“Marine Hikers Reach Camp Elliot Bivouac Area,” San Diego Union (March 5, 1958): A-13.
37.Personal interview with PFC Art Sickler.
38.Personal interview with Sergeant Lynn Mattocks.
39.Personal interview with Jim Wright.
40.Personal interview with Jesse Winters.
41.“‘All the Way’ Fifth Marines Rest after Week Long 100 Mile Hike around Camp Pendleton,” Pendleton Scout, no. 3 (January 22, 1959) 6.
42.Personal interview with Frank D. Brady.
43.Personal interview with Rebecca Meador.
44.Personal interview with Denise Dwyer Reed.
45.From a personal interview with Debbie McCain.
46.Personal interview with Sergeant Lynn Mattocks.
47.Personal interview with Corporal Jesse Winters.
48.“Commandant Promotes ‘Reckless’ to Staff Sgt,” Pendleton Scout, no. 36 (September 3, 1959): 1.
49.Ibid.
50.Bill Parry, “Shoup Selection Defended by Pate,” San Diego Union (September 1, 1959): 13.
51.“Commandant Promotes ‘Reckless’ to Staff Sgt,” 1.
52.Ibid.
53.Ibid.
54.Geer, Reckless: Pride of the Marines, 8.
55.Private interview with Fred “Dutch” White.
56.Jack Murphy, “Top Del Mar Fillies Share Stage with Korean Plater,” San Diego Union (September 6, 1959): 33.
57.Louis R. Guzzo, “Wave of War Movies Coming,” Seattle Daily Times (July 18, 1960): 11.
58.“Horse Film Set,” Springfield Union (October 8, 1960), 24.
59.Retirement ceremony comments from personal interview with Frank Brady.
60.“Sgt Reckless Transfers to FMCR; Subs & Quarters Provided for Life,” Pendleton Scout (November 3, 1960): 5.
61.“Del Mar Honors SSgt Reckless,” Pendleton Scout (July 27, 1962): 8.
62.Nelson Fisher, “Doc Jocoy Wins Del Mar Feature,” San Diego Union (July 29, 1962): 147.
63.Ibid., 149.
64.Lester Bell, “Living Legends Meet at Review,” San Diego Union (August 4, 1962): 15.
65.Personal interview with Dr. Robert L Miller, DVM.
66.Personal interview with Art DiGrazia.
67.Personal interview with Lynn Mattocks.
CHAPTER TWELVE
1.Boots Reynolds, “Sgt Reckless, a Mighty Marine,” Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover’s Soul, (Cos Cob, CT: Chicken Soup for the Soul, 2012), 102–8.
2.“Marines Become Godfathers: ‘Sarge’ Reckless Bears Offspring,” San Diego Union (April 10, 1957), 9.
3.“1st Div Foal Name Test Undecided,” Pendleton Scout, no. 16 (April 18, 1957), 1.
4.“Fifth Marines Massed to Watch Dauntless Take Oath of Enlistment,” Pendleton Scout (July 9, 1959): 2.
5.“Latest Reckless Kin to Be Enlisted Next Wednesday—Public Invited,” Pendleton Scout (June 25, 1959): 1.
6.“Fifth Marines Massed to Watch Dauntless Take Oath of Enlistment,” 2.
7.Personal interview with Tommie Mack Turvey Sr.
8.Dennis Litalien, “Official Press Release No. 152-83,” Joint Public Affairs Office, Camp Pendleton, May 24, 1983, 4.
9.Sergeant Major William F. Stepp, a Korean War veteran and Bronze Star with Combat “V” recipient, was Camp Pendleton’s stables manager for twenty years. In 2003, the base stables were renamed in his honor.
10.Personal interview with Tom Fant.
11.Among other accomplishments, Marine Colonel A. C. “Ace” Bowen is remembered for developing and overseeing Camp Pendleton’s rodeo grounds, which were renamed in his honor in 1982.
12.Personal interview with Sergeant Lynn Mattocks.
PART IV: IN MEMORIAM AND MORE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
1.Interview with Art DiGrazia.
2.Interview with Eric Pedersen.
3.Interview with Art DiGrazia.
4.“Reckless Plaque Shown,” Pendleton Scout 29, no. 47 (November 26, 1971): 1.
5.Ibid.
6.Excerpted from George Putnam’s televised remarks, November 22, 1971, 10:00 p.m. news broadcast, KTTV Los Angeles, and his November 20, 1971, eulogy, reprinted with permission.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
1.Nancy Lee White Hoffman, “Sgt Reckless: Combat Veteran,” Leatherneck (November 1992): 85.
2.Personal conversation with Lin Ezell.
EPILOGUE
1.Harold Wadley, Spirit Blending Foals Before and After Birth, An Old Way Continued (Indianapolis: Trafford Publishing, 2003).
FACTS AND FIGURES
1.On p. 12 of Lt. Eric Pedersen’s declassified April 7, 1953 Security Information Report on the Anti-Tank Company’s actions for the previous month, he offers the following vital statistics on Reckless: “Age: five years (approximately); Weight: 550–600 lbs.; Height: seven hands; Characteristics: Four-legged, hoofed, vegetarian; Disposition: Docile.” This was her height and weight in Korea, as best as Pedersen could estimate on the battlefield. Yet in photographs, Reckless appears noticeably larger than seven hands high. Camp Pendleton personnel and others also differed from Pedersen’s estimates. Some claimed she was eleven hands high and about 700 lbs.; others insisted she was 14.1 hands high and about 900 lbs. Harold Wadley felt Reckless was between twelve-and-a-half and thirteen-point-two hands high and between 500 and 600 pounds. Her true measurements are lost to history.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books and Articles
“1st Div Foal Name Test Undecided.” Pendleton Scout, no. 16, (April 18, 1957).
“5thMar Back Home after 110 Mile Hike.” Pendleton Scout, March 13, 1958.
“‘All the Way’ Fifth Marines Rest after Week Long 100 Mile Hike around Camp Pendleton.” Pendleton Scout, no. 3, January 22, 1959.
“Author of the Week: An Equine Heroine of the Korean War.” Council Bluffs (IA) Daily Nonpareil, October 23, 1955.
Ballenger, Lee. US Marines in Korea. Vol. 2, The Final Crucible, 1953. Washington, DC: Brassey’s, 2001.
Beaven, William E. “The Battle of Vegas,” Leatherneck, March 1973.
Bell, Lester. “Living Legends Meet at Review,” San Diego Union, August 4, 1962.
Berry, Henry. Hey, Mac, Where Ya Been? New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1988.
“Best-Seller Author Andrew Geer Dies.” Marin Independent Journal, December 23, 1957.
Bevilacqua, Allan C. “Korea: The Third Year of War,” Leatherneck, July 2002.
———. “The Nevada Outposts.
” Leatherneck, March 2003.
———. “The Nevada Outposts: Counterattack.” Leatherneck, April 2003.
Blair, Clay. The Forgotten War: America in Korea, 1950–1953. New York: Anchor Books, Doubleday, 1987.
Burrus, John. “A Little Brown Mare: Marines to Note ‘Reckless’ Deeds.” San Diego Union, November 16, 1971.
Campbell, Jim. War in the Land of the Morning Calm. Alpharetta, GA: BookLogix, 2012.
Coleman, James F. “Un-Gok.” Leatherneck, July 1953.
“Commandant Promotes ‘Reckless’ to Staff Sgt.” Pendleton Scout 17, no. 36 (September 3, 1959).
Command Diaries and Special Action Reports. U.S. Marine Corps. USMC Archives, Korean War CDs, nos. 21, 22.
1st Battalion, 5th Marines, Command Diaries, January 1953–December 1953.
2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, Command Diaries, January 1953–December 1953.
Anti-Tank Company, Recoilless Rifle Platoon, 5th Marines, Command Diaries, October 1952–April 1953.
Battalion Operation Plan 26-53, MAR RCT LEX-1, Shore-Based Training Operation, May 1953.
Considine, Bob. “Heroic Horse Coming to U.S.” San Antonio Light, October 25, 1954.
———. “Stateside . . . for Pride of the Marines.” Omaha World Herald, October 25, 1954.
Cox, Lillian. “Four-Legged Marine Hero Retired to Camp Pendleton.” San Diego Union-Tribune, November 14, 2004.
Cumings, Bruce. The Korean War: A History. New York: Modern Library, 2011.
Daum, Bill. “Pendleton Fetes ‘Reckless,’ Old Korea Pal of Local Pair.” Files: Mascots. Historical Reference Branch, Marine Corps History Division, Marine Corps Base, Quantico, VA [November 1954?].
“Del Mar Honors ‘SSgt Reckless.’” Pendleton Scout, July 27, 1962.
Dempsy, David. “The Horse Marine.” New York Times, October 16, 1955.
Erickson, S. A. “Reckless Brings Back Memories.” San Diego Union, July 31, 1966.
Fehrenbach, T. R. This Kind of War. New York: MacMillan, 1963.
“Fifth Marines Massed to Watch Dauntless Take Oath of Enlistment.” Pendleton Scout 17, no. 28, July 9, 1959.
Fisher, James J. “In Harsh Winter, War Lives.” Kansas City Times, December 25, 1989.
Fisher, Nelson. “Doc Jocoy Wins Del Mar Feature.” San Diego Union, July 29, 1962.
Fugate, Robert T. “Vegas, Reno and Carson.” Leatherneck, July 1953.
Gartz, Spence R. “Staging Regiment.” Leatherneck, January 1953.
Geer, Andrew. “Reckless.” Leatherneck, May 1955.
———. Reckless, Pride of the Marines. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1955.