10 Incredible Animal War Heroes
8. Staff Sergeant Reckless
Horses may be known to instinctively run away from danger but it seems Sgt Reckless never got the memo. She was named after the recoilless guns US Marines used at the time and they got that name because they were so dangerous to handle. Reckless carried the ammunition that fed those guns.
She distinguished herself in the Korean War during the battle for Outpost Vegas in March 1953. The mare made 51 trips carrying 386 rounds of ammunition weighing over 4,000 kilograms, all under heavy enemy fire through rice paddies and steep hills, in a single day.
She also evacuated injured soldiers on her way down despite being injured several times herself.
Reckless was awarded two Purple Hearts and was made Staff Sergeant for her battlefield heroics. She remains the only animal to ever hold an official rank in the US Marine Corps.