She wasn’t a horse – she was a marine. Her statue at the Kentucky Horse Park.
She should never have had to endure all of that. It wasn’t her [w.a.r].
That’s proof that real heroes don’t wear capes.
In March 1953, during the [Ba.ttl.e] of Outpost Vegas, she made 51 trips in a single day, hauling more than 9,000 pounds of [am.mun.ition] under constant [e.ne.my fi.re].
Marines later admitted: without her, hundreds of them might not have survived.
What made her remarkable was not just her strength, but her heart. She often traveled supply routes alone, memorizing paths across shell-[t.or.n hi.ll.s].
She shielded Marines with her own body, was [wo.und.ed] twice, and kept moving. At night, she ate rations with the men — scrambled eggs, bacon, even coffee — and slept in their tents. To them, she wasn’t livestock. She was family.
THEA THEANIMAL- ANIMAL MAXIMALIST This Little Mare Carried 9,000 Pounds Under Fire, Saved Hundreds of Marines and Died Peacefully Honored in 1968′
In recognition of her service, she was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and awarded two Purple Hearts, among other medals. After the war, she was brought to the United States, where she lived at Camp Pendleton.
Sergeant Reckless [di.ed] peacefully in 1968 at the age of about 20. She was [bu.rie.d] with full military honors, a tribute normally reserved for human heroes.
Today, statues across America remember her, including one at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
Sometimes, the bravest soldier on the [ba.ttlef.ield] walks on four legs. 
