On October 26 of this year, a very special dedication service was held at Camp Pendleton, CA, to honor a very special Marine. The Marine was Staff Sgt. Reckless, probably the most famous War Horse in American history and her dedication was the unveiling of a large bronze statue of her. The dedication ceremony was attended by high-ranking U.S. Marines as well as veterans of the Korean War who served with her.Sgt. Reckless was a “little white-faced” Mongolian mare. Her name was a contraction of the name of the Recoilless rifle and also reflected the daredevil attitude of those who used the gun. She was bought at a race track in Seoul during the Korean War and was trained by the Marines as a war horse, taught to walk over trip wires, avoid incoming enemy fire and deliver huge packs of ammunition during battle. She often carried wounded Marines on the front lines under enemy fire to safety.She quickly learned each supply route after only a couple of trips and often delivered supplies to the troops on her own without any handlers.According to a website set up by Robin Hutton, the author of a book about her, she made 51 solo trips in one day to re-supply multiple front line units in the Battle of Outpost Vegas in March 1953. On that day she carried more than 9000 pounds of ammunition (386 rounds) over 35 miles of terrain, through open rice paddies and up steep mountains, with enemy fire exploding around her at the rate of 500 rounds per minute.She roamed freely throughout the camp, often coming into the Marines’ tents to sleep on cold nights and helped herself to her favorite foods of scrambled eggs and bacon from the mess hall, supplemented with chocolate candy bars and beer.She served with the Recoilless Rifle Platoon, Anti-Tank Company, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, and she earned two purple hearts, a Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, a Presidential Unit Citation with bronze star, the National Defense Service Medal, a Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Korea Medal, a Navy Unit Commendation, a Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation and the Dickin Medal.Staff Sgt. Reckless was wounded twice, but she continued to serve, saving “countless” lives. She died in 1968 and was buried with full military honors at Camp Pendleton.The internet is filled with stories of the heroism of Sgt. Reckless and she has her own Facebook page. I encourage you to read more about this brave and dedicated service horse. There was no way I could tell you everything in this column. Hutton’s book “Sgt. Reckless: America’s War Horse” can be found on Amazon along with several other books about her. In writing about her, Hutton said, “She wasn’t a horse, she was a Marine!”Over the years, the different branches of our military have been fortunate to have the assistance of other service animals, especially dogs. Dogs have served with soldiers for many years, but were not recognized as service animals until WWII, although Sgt. Stubby, a Pit Bull mix, served with the 102nd Infantry, Yankee Division during WWI. He forged the way for all canine soldiers who followed and remains a symbol of military bravery and heroism to this day.
Today more than 1000 dogs are trained at any given time by a staff of 125 from all branches of military service at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. The dogs can detect weapons, bombs, gases and drugs more accurately than any available military equipment.There are approximately 2500 active dogs in service today and about 700 deployed overseas. Eighty five percent of military working dogs are bred and trained in Germany and the Netherlands. The bloodlines of these dogs go back hundreds of years, making them literally “born for the job.”According to retired Air Force K9 Handler, Louis Robinson, a fully trained bomb detection dog is likely worth over $150,000, but in reality they are priceless. With an average of 98% accuracy in their detection skills, the peace of mind they provide to the troops is immeasurable.Only about 50% of the dogs make it through training. They must have no physical problems and be highly reward motivated. Because they are trained to attack the enemy and must be able to attack on command, some dogs do not make it through the training because, strange as it may seem, they don’t have the aggressive personality required to bite a human.We tend to think that military dogs are always German Shepherds, but Labrador Retrievers are also highly trainable. The U.S. Navy SEALS use the Belgian Malinois, which is similar to the German Shepherd but smaller. They are compact and fast with a sense of smell 40 times greater than a human. Their handlers take them on parachuting and repelling missions. The SEALS were accompanied by a Belgian Malinois named Cairo during their raid on Osama Bin Laden in 2011.If a dog of war is lost in combat, he or she is honored by the entire squad. Feeding dishes are symbolically placed upside down and a poem called Guardians of the Night is read in their honor.
Unfortunately these dogs can also get PTSD. They will also mourn the loss of their handler. In 2000 President Clinton passed “Robby’s Law” which allows handlers and their families first dibs at adopting military animals at the end of their useful service. Organizations like “saveavet.org” place these retired heroes with suitable families and ensure they are given the honorable discharge they deserve.
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