Reckless: The Racehorse Who Became A Marine Corps Legend

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By Tom Clavin

Some racehorses, like Seabiscuit and
Secretariat, are cemented into the
annals of history for their
accomplishments on the track. Yet
there are other horses whose legendary
journey only begins there&

Tom Clavin, the national bestselling
co-author of Halseys Typhoon and The
Heart of Everything That Is, tells the
unlikely story of a racehorse who
became a true American war horse in
RECKLESS: The Racehorse Who Became a
Marine Corps Hero (NAL Caliber
Hardcover; 978-0-451-46650-1; $28.95;
August 5, 2014). From the racetracks
of Seoul to the battlegrounds of the
Korean War, Reckless was a horse whose
strength, tenacity, and relentless
spirit made her beloved among the U.S.
Marines fighting for their lives on
the front lines.

Her Korean name was Ah-Chim-HaiFlame-
of-the-Morning. A four-year-old
chestnut-colored Mongolian racehorse
with a white blaze down her face and
three white stockings, she once amazed
the crowds in Seoul with her
remarkable speed. But when war shut
down the tracks, the star racer was
soon sold to an American Marine and
trained to carry heavy loads of
artillery shells up and down steep
hills under a barrage of bullets and
bombs. The Marines renamed her
Reckless.

Reckless soon proved fearless under
fire, boldly marching alone through
the fiery gauntlet, exposed to
explosions and shrapnel. For months,
her drive and determination kept the
Marines guns blazing, while inspiring
them with her singular charm. During
one day of battle alone, she made
fifty-one trips up and down a crucial
hill, covering at least thirty-five
miles in the heat of combat. On some
of her uphill treks, Reckless shielded
human reinforcements, and on the way
down she carried wounded Marines. The
Chinese, soon discovering the unique
bravery of this magnificent animal,
made a special effort to kill her. But
Reckless never slowed. As months
passed and the enemy grew bolder, the
men came to appreciate her not just as
a horse but as a weapon, and
eventually, as a fellow Marine.

A moving reminder of the unbreakable
bond between people and animals,
RECKLESS is a powerful tale of
courage, survival, and even love in
the face of overwhelming odds.

NAL Caliber Hardcover List Price:
$28.95

Publication Date: August 5, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-451-46650-1



https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/reckless-tom-clavin/1118663042