Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
27 days ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
27 days ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
27 days ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
27 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Virginia Triangle Staff Sgt. Reckless Monument
AO Edited

Staff Sgt. Reckless Monument

A memorial dedicated to a highly decorated Marine and Korean War veteran, who also happened to be a horse.

Triangle, Virginia

Added By
Sydney Rose
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Staff Sgt. Reckless Monument   Amaury Laporte/CC BY 2.0
Staff Sgt. Reckless Monument   Amaury Laporte/CC BY 2.0
Staff Sgt. Reckless Monument   U.S. Marine Corps photo by Kathy Reesey
Reckless with her main caretaker, Marine Sergeant Joseph Latham.   Wikimedia/USMC photographer
Sergeant Reckless getting promoted to Staff Sergeant in 1959   USMC photographer/Public Domain
Reckless Meets the Commanding General at Camp Pendleton in 1954.   Flickr/USMC Archives
Reckless monument at Camp Pendleton, California   USMC Sgt. Tabitha Markovich
  U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Christina O'Neil
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Forever frozen in time, the mare struggles up a steep incline in her ill-fitting tack and pack saddle. Her head bows, and her tail lifts in the wind. Strapped to her back are four canisters of live explosives. The life-size bronze statue is called The Uphill Battle, and Staff Sergeant Reckless, the mare it depicts, was a United States Marine.

The 10-foot-tall, 1,200-pound equine monument sits at the end of a corridor of trees in the Semper Fidelis Memorial Park of the Marine Corps Heritage Center in Triangle, Virginia. Created by wildlife artist Jocelyn Russell, it was unveiled and dedicated on July 26, 2013.  It memorializes a diminutive mare who became a hero during the Korean War and captured the hearts of the Marines with whom she served.  

On October 26, 1952, Marine Lt. Eric Pedersen purchased a small, chestnut-colored Mongolian mare from a stable boy at the racetrack in Seoul, Korea, for $250. The boy needed the money to procure a prosthetic leg for his sister. Pederson intended to use the mare to carry ammunition to the front lines for the Recoilless Rifle Platoon of the 5th Marines. The Marines immediately accepted the horse as one of their own and named her Reckless, the same nickname used for their recoilless rifles. The troops trained Reckless to navigate through barbed wire, to lay flat on the battlefield when under fire, and to run for her bunker in the event of incoming artillery fire. She worked, ate, and slept with her fellow Marines.  

Her most stunning acts of bravery occurred during the three-day Battle of Outpost Vegas/Vegas Hill in March 1953. On the worst day of fighting, Reckless made 51 trips, mostly alone, to carry ammunition from the platoon supply camp to the front lines. Estimates are that the mare walked 35 miles under enemy fire, through open rice paddies and up steep inclines, and carried a total of almost five tons of live ammunition. On the return trips, she transported wounded and dead soldiers back from the front lines. She was twice-wounded herself, but she never stopped. For her feats of heroism that day, she was promoted to Corporal.

When the war was over, Reckless was brought to the United States. She was hailed as "America's War Horse" and stabled at Camp Pendleton, where she rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant. Reckless received two Purple Hearts for her injuries sustained during the Battle of Outpost Vegas, in addition to numerous other military decorations. Reckless died on May 13, 1968, at the estimated age of 20, and she was buried at Camp Pendleton with full military honors. 

The base of the Staff Sgt. Reckless Monument contains a lock of her tail hair. The monument's plaque bears a quote from Sgt. Harold Wadley, who served with her: "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."  

A second memorial to Staff Sgt. Reckless, featuring Russell's sculpture, was dedicated at Camp Pendleton on October 26, 2016. The dedication of a third, almost identical, monument was held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, on May 12, 2018. 

Related Tags

Monuments Horses Korean War Memorials War Memorial

Know Before You Go

Semper Fidelis Memorial Park is located adjacent to the National Museum of the Marine Corps on the grounds of the Marine Corps Heritage Center in Triangle, Virginia. The Center is part of Marine Corps Base Quantico, but the Museum and its grounds are located outside the gates of the base.

The Center is open every day but Christmas, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Admission and parking are free.

The monument is located at the end of Marine Trail. 

Community Contributors

Added By

Sydney Rose

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy

  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

July 17, 2020

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Staff Sgt. Reckless Monument
18900 Jefferson Davis Hwy
Triangle, Virginia, 22172
United States
38.543619, -77.342333
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Hogan's Alley

Stafford, Virginia

miles away

The Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay

Nanjemoy, Maryland

miles away

Nash Family Cemetery

Woodbridge, Virginia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Virginia

Virginia

United States

Places 315
Stories 34

Nearby Places

Hogan's Alley

Stafford, Virginia

miles away

The Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay

Nanjemoy, Maryland

miles away

Nash Family Cemetery

Woodbridge, Virginia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Virginia

Virginia

United States

Places 315
Stories 34

Related Stories and Lists

11 Memorials to Visit on Veteran's Day

List

By Jonathan Carey

Related Places

  • The statue.

    Washington, D.C.

    The Winfield Scott Memorial

    The sculptor was instructed to add “stallion attributes” to the general's bronze mare.

  • The memorial, with two seagulls on it.

    Rovinj, Croatia

    Partisan and Victims of Fascism Memorial

    A memorial dedicated to the 29,000 Istrian freedom fighters of World War II.

  • Viterbo, Italy

    Fontana-Monumento al Paracadutista d’Italia

    This war memorial commemorates some of the world's first paratroopers.

  • White conical shaped structure with a black bulb-like pinnacle with clouds in the background.

    Bollington, England

    White Nancy

    A strange Georgian folly sits atop a lonely hill.

  • Pune, India

    Maratha War Memorial

    A stone monument dedicated to Indian soldiers who fought and died for the British Indian Army during World War I.

  • Monument to the Unknown Hero.

    Beli Potok, Serbia

    Monument to the Unknown Hero

    Near Belgrade, an ancient-looking sarcophagus serves as a World War I monument.

  • The memorial.

    Bologna, Italy

    Monument to Fallen Partisans

    A striking memorial recalls thousands of Bolognese men and women killed fighting fascists in World War II.

  • Algiers, Algeria

    Martyrs' Memorial

    This massive monument towers over the city as a constant reminder of the lives lost during Algeria's hard-won war for independence.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.