This post isn't about the song. Rather, it's about the most unusual Marine who ever served in the Corps: SSGT Reckless.
Reckless was a horse. A Marine Lieutenant realized that his recoilless artillery battery was having a problem getting shells up the steep Korean hills. So he bought a horse:
On October 26, 1952, Lt. Eric Pedersen, commanding officer of the 75mm Recoilless Rifle Platoon, 5th Marines, went to the Seoul Racecourse looking for a pack animal to help his men carry ammunition over the rugged terrain of South Korea. Pedersen paid $250 of his own money for her. The only reason Kim Huk Moon sold his beloved horse to the Marine was so he could buy an artificial leg for his older sister, Chung Soon, who lost her leg in a land mine accident.
Kim’s loss was the Marines’ gain. The men named her "Reckless" after the gun she carried the ammo for, and she quickly earned the love and respect of all of the Marines that served with her.
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One of Reckless’ finest hours came during the Battle of Outpost Vegas in March of 1953. At the time of this battle it was written that, “The savagery of the battle for the so-called Nevada Complex has never been equaled in Marine Corps history.” This particular battle “was to bring a cannonading and bombing seldom experienced in warfare … twenty-eight tons of bombs and hundreds of the largest shells turned the crest of Vegas into a smoking, death-pocked rubble.” And Reckless was in the middle of all of it.
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During this five-day battle, on one day alone she made 51 trips from the Ammunition Supply Point to the firing sites, 95% of the time by herself. She carried 386 rounds of ammunition (over 9,000 pounds – almost FIVE TONS! -- of ammunition), walked over 35 miles through open rice paddies and up steep mountains with enemy fire coming in at the rate of 500 rounds per minute. And as she so often did, she would carry wounded soldiers down the mountain to safety, unload them, get reloaded with ammo, and off she would go back up to the guns. She also provided a shield for several Marines who were trapped trying to make their way up to the front line. Wounded twice, she didn’t let that stop or slow her down.
After the war, she was left behind. One of the Marines got her story published in the Saturday Evening Post, and an outraged public demanded she be brought back to the States. And so she was, living out the remainder of her days at Camp Pendleton. She was promoted to Staff Sergeant by the Commandant of the Marine Corps.
This is quite a story, one that I had never heard before. I encourage you to click through and read the whole thing. But yeah, there's a country music song about a horse with grit. Eddy Arnold's version was nominated for a Grammy in 1959.
Tennessee Stud (Songwriter: Jimmy Driftwood)
Back about eighteen and twenty-five
I left Tennessee very much alive
I never would've made it through the Arkansas mud
If I hadn't been riding on the Tennessee Stud
Had some trouble with my sweetheart's Pa
One of her brothers was a bad outlaw
I wrote a letter to my Uncle Spud And
I rode away on the Tennessee Stud
On a Tennessee Stud
The Tennessee Stud was long and lean
The color of the sun and his eyes were green
He had the nerve and he had the blood
There never was a horse like Tennessee Stud
Drifted on down into no man's land
Across the river called the Rio Grande
Raced my horse with the Spaniard's foe
Til I got me a skin full of silver and gold
Me and the gambler, we couldn't agree
We got in a fight over Tennessee
Pulled our guns and he fell with a thud
And I rode away on a Tennessee Stud
The Tennessee Stud was long and lean
The color of the sun and his eyes were green
He had the nerve and he had the blood
There was never a horse like the Tennessee Stud
I rode right back across Arkansas
I whipped her brother and
I whipped her Pa
I found that girl with the golden hair
She was riding on a Tennessee Mare
Pretty little baby on the cabin floor
Little horse colt playing round the door
I loved the girl with the golden hair
And the Tennessee Stud loves the Tennessee Mare
The Tennessee Stud was long and lean
The color of the sun and his eyes were green
He had the nerve and he had the blood
There was never a horse like the Tennessee Stud
Thank you for sharing Borepatch. A fascinating piece of history I did not know.
ReplyDeleteLove the story of Reckless.
ReplyDeleteI needed a bit of
ReplyDeleteBetter than the way stuff has been going
Thanks
Never heard that story before - very nice! There's a movie of Gallant Bess (pretty typical movie of the time) about a horse that 'almost' got left behind during WWII. I couldn't remember the name of it, and started to think that maybe I had dreamed the story... Thanks for making me look for it again. I was about 6 when I saw it and being completely horse-mad, I cried at the end, but Daddy made me watch it all the way through!
ReplyDeleteAnyway thanks for the story of Reckless, which I didn't know, the song (although I like Eddie Arnold, my favorite version is Doc Watson's) and the gumption to go find 'Gallant Bess', which wasn't just a horse-crazy girl's dream.
I'm sorry, but the author of the "Tennessee Stud" was Jimmie Driftwood, who was a prolific songwriter. I appreciate other artists playing his songs, but attributions must be made. In my opinion, nobody does "Tennessee Stud" like Jimmie Driftwood.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, Jimmie Driftwood also wrote "The Battle Of New Orleans" which was covered by another singer circa 1960. If you like America folklore, you can't do better than Jimmie Driftwood.