The undulating hills with white picket fences setting off groomed green fields where large, small, solid, pintoed and various colored horses graze and trot beckoned me. The Kentucky Horse Park, on the northern outskirts of Lexington, is a park, museum, show rink, horse garden and final resting place for highly commemorated horses. It's one of the most highly esteemed places that lauds derby, triple-crown winners and other horse race challengers, past and present, and I knew I would see statues of some of the most famous horses in American racing history: Man O' War (the most famous Thoroughbred race horse of the 20th century) and some of his offspring including Triple Crown winner War Admiral (who Seabiscuit challenged and triumphed over in the famous 1938 race).
Other famous horses buried at the park are memorialized at the park's Hall of Champions:
- Thoroughbreds Forego, Bold Forbes, John Henry, Alysheba and Kona Gold
- Standardbreds Rambling Willie and Cam Fella
- Saddlebred show horses CH Imperator, CH Sky Watch and CH Gypsy Supreme
- Quarter Horse racehorses Sgt. Pepper Feature and Tailor Fit
- the great European race mare Allez France
- European Steeplechaser Jay Trump
- ... and more
Wandering around the sculpted gardens with horse statuary everywhere, the highlight statue for me wasn't a racehorse winner, but the Korean war horse-veteran:
Staff Sergeant Reckless (1948-1968)
"The spirit of her loneliness and her loyalty, in spite of the danger, was something else to behold. Hurting. Determined. And alone. That's the image I have imprinted in my head and heart forever." — Sergeant Harold Wadley, USMC
Staff Sergeant Reckless served valiantly with the United States Marine Corps in the Korean War. During the pivotal five-day Battle of Outpost Vegas in late March 1953, she made 51 round-trips in a single day — most of them solo — from the Ammunition Supply Point to the firing sites. She carried 386 rounds of ammunition totaling more than 9,000 pounds, and walked over 35 miles, through open rice paddies and up steep mountains, as enemy fire exploded at the rate of 500 rounds per minute.
Reckless provided a shield for front-line Marines, carried the wounded to safety, and was wounded twice. But she never quit until the mission was complete. She wasn't a horse — she was a Marine!
Staff Sergeant Reckless is buried at the Stepp Stables, MCG Camp Pendleton, CA, where she spent her final years before he death in 1968.
Military Decorations:
- Two Purple Hearts
- Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal
- Presidential Unit Citation
- Navy Unit Commendation
- National Defense Service Medal
- United Nations Service Medal — Korea
- Korean Service Medal with 3 Stars
- Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
- PDSA Dickin Medal
For a better understanding of the indomitable and 19-gun-saluted Reckless, watch the YouTube clip Sgt Reckless - Korean War Horse Hero (3:36).
