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Foreign. This is Angela Odell, and you are listening to Real Cool History for Kids, a podcast show featuring history told from a distinctly biblical worldview perspective. Welcome to an adventure. Welcome to episode 175 of Real Cool History for Kids. This episode is for Ike Bailey, who wanted to hear the incredible true story of a horse who became a real United States Marine during the Korean War. Animals in history are some of my very favorite kinds of history stories, you guys. And this story is about one of my absolute favorite animals, horses. But this wasn't just any horse. This was a horse so brave that she went down in history for it. Our hero horse was born in Korea around 1948 and given the name Ah Chim High, Achim High, which is Korean for flame of the morning. The new little filly grew up to be a small Mongolian mare. She was sturdy and tough and incredibly strong. Later, Achim Hai would become known as Sergeant Reckless. That's what this story is all about. But before we begin that story, let's go and find out what was happening around that time. We need to go to the Korean War. Now, I told you guys about this war back in episode 102, but just as a review, let's remember what happened to cause that war. First, go grab your globe or map so you can see where we are talking about. We're going to locate Korea. First, let's find China and Japan. Okay, now slide your finger down until it's resting on a peninsula, sort of between those two countries. Do you see it? Do you see how it's divided into two parts? That's Korea. After World War II ended in 1945, Korea was divided along the 38th parallel. The Northern half became communist and was supported by China and the Soviet Union, both giant communist nations who wanted to spread their kind of government as far as they could. And then the southern half was supported by the United States and the other half United nations countries. They wanted to help them remain democratic and free. So for a few years, there was tension. Then In June of 1951, North Korea invaded South Korea. Tanks rolled across the border and troops poured in from the north going into the South. South Korean forces were quickly pushed down to a small area near the southern port city of Busan. It looked for a while like South Korea might completely fall. But In September of 1950, General Douglas MacArthur launched a bold surprise landing far behind enemy lines. United nations troops stormed ashore and cut off North Korean supply lines. It was risky and it was dangerous, but it worked. The war shifted again. The United nations forces pushed North Almost to the Chinese border. But then hundreds of thousands of Chinese soldiers entered the war, and fighting became fierce and exhausting. Back and forth, the battle lines moved, especially near that 38th parallel where the dividing line had been drawn earlier. By 1953, the war had settled into brutal battles over hills and outposts. One hill might change hands several times in one week. You know what hills really mattered during this war. Whoever controlled the high ground could see farther, and they could direct artillery fire better, and they could observe enemy movements. One of these important hills was called Outpost Vegas. Outpost Vegas was a rugged hilltop position covered in trenches and sandbags and barbed wire. It just stretched on and on along the slopes. Marines dug deep fighting holes. The ground shook constantly from the artillery fire. And every time the Marines fired their big cannons, they needed more ammunition. Without shells, they could not defend the hill. And without supply lines, the soldiers were in danger. And that's where our hero horse enters the story. During the war, a young Korean boy owned the mare Ah Chim Hye, who would become Sergeant Reckless. But the boy needed money to buy an artificial leg for his sister so. Who had been injured when she stepped on a landmine. So he sold his horse to American Marines. In 1952, those Marines were part of the 5th Marines, an artillery unit. Artillery units use large cannons that fire heavy shells long distances to protect troops on the front lines. The Marines renamed Achim High Reckless because she carried ammunition for them through danger. And because one of the types of shells she carried went to a gun they nicknamed the Reckless rifle. Each shell weighed about 22 pounds. That's pretty heavy, you guys. Now imagine carrying several of those at a time up a steep mountain path. That was Reckless job at first. Marines led her along the supply route. But horses are extremely intelligent animals, and they can memorize complicated paths. They recognize voices, and they can read human body language. Their ears rotate nearly 180 degrees, allowing them to pinpoint sound. And their eyes give them an almost 350 degrees of vision. So that's pretty incredible. Reckless quickly memorized the route between the ammunition dump and the front lines. And soon she made those trips alone up the hill. Deliver the shells, turn around, go back down, reload, and climb again, over and over and over again. Hey, you guys, we're going to take a little break right here in the middle of our story about brave Sergeant Reckless to give a shout out to recent podcast reviewers Annabelle and Avery, who said this about real cool history for kids. Hi, Mrs. Odell. My name is Annabelle and I am 10 years old. My brother Avery is 8 and we love this podcast. My favorite episode is the story of the Von Trapp family and my brother's favorite is is the episode about Share Ami, thank you so much. Thank you Annabelle and Avery. I am so happy you guys are loving the podcast show. This episode is made possible in part by our Patreon members who help keep real cool history for kids on the air. Thank you each and every one of you. You guys, I want to update you on the new 250 Years of Liberty projects. Coming soon on March 13, pre orders will be opening for the new edition of My Country, My State, My Responsibility and for the all new storybook, the Chronicles of Liberty Book 1. Visit AngelaOdell.com to find out more. Now let's get back to our story about Sergeant Reckless. You know, to fully appreciate the story of Sergeant Reckless, I think we need to learn just a little about how God created horses. First, it's important to know that he created horses to be prey animals. P R E Y prey animals, which means that they are naturally alert. They are not predatory hunters. In the wild, they survive by noticing danger quickly and running away from it. Explosions, gunfire, smoke. These are exactly the kinds of things that would normally terrify a horse. But through patient training, the Marines trained Reckless not to panic. She learned to trust them. So when the Marines shouted incoming. She would drop to the ground to protect herself. You know, there's something else fascinating about how God designed horses. On the underside of their hooves is a rubbery triangular shaped section called the frog. It's almost like the sole of their foot, but it's not just for traction like you might think. Every time that hoof hits the ground, the frog compresses and helps pump blood back up the leg as part of the horse's circulatory system. So in other words, the horse's feet work with the horse's heart in circulating the blood for their legs. That means every step Reckless took up that hill helped move blood through her body. Isn't that amazing? God also designed horses for endurance. They have large lungs and powerful hearts and strong hindquarters that push them uphill with incredible force. And Reckless needed every bit of that strength. Just during the Battle of Outpost Vegas In March of 1953, Chinese forces attacked again and again and artillery thundered day and night and the hill changed hands multiple times. Marines fought in trenches and in hand to hand combat. Reckless traveled exposed paths where enemy snipers could see movement. During that battle, you guys, she made 51 trips in a single day. 51 trips. She carried nearly 10,000 pounds of ammunition that day alone. Most of those trips were made without a handler. That means she made them by herself. She was wounded twice, once near the eye and once in her flank. But she kept climbing. And here's something even more remarkable. After delivering ammunition, she sometimes carried wounded Marines down the hill so that they could get help. The Marines loved Reckless. She lived in their tents with them. She stepped carefully over the communication wires, and she nudged them for treats, kind of like a dog. She developed a taste for scrambled eggs and even liked Coca Cola. One Marine later said that she was one of the boys. Morale matters in war. Morale is an attitude. It's like the outlook of how and how someone feels. Are they upbeat? Are they encouraged? Or are they discouraged and sad? When soldiers are cold and exhausted and afraid, something steady and faithful, like a pet, like an animal, like Reckless, can lift their spirits. Reckless was officially promoted several times. She became a staff sergeant and later a sergeant major. And she was the only horse in the Marine Corps history to hold official rank. And she received two Purple Hearts for her wounds in battle. In July of 1953, an armistice agreement was signed. An armistice is not the same as a peace treaty, you guys. It simply means that both sides agreed to stop fighting. And you can learn more about what that means. But back in the episode that I created about the Korean War. After the war, Reckless was brought to the United States. She lived at Camp Pendleton in California. Thousands of people came to see her. She marched in parades. The Marines held formal ceremonies to promote her. She stood calmly while medals were placed on her blanket. She later had four foals and lived peacefully for many years. When she died in 1968, she was buried with full military honors. Psalm 50, verse 10 says, for every animal of the forest is mine and the cattle on a thousand hills. Sergeant Reckless belonged to God long before she belonged to the Marines. That's really important to remember. Everything on earth is God's. It belongs to God. So all animals belong to God. Reckless didn't understand politics. She didn't know why that hill mattered. She didn't know about communism or democracy. She simply carried what needed to be carried. And you guys, there's a lesson there. Reckless did not carry all £10,000 at once. She carried them one load at a time. Sometimes the hills in our own lives feel. Well, honestly, they feel steep and impossible. I don't know about you, but I'm facing some of those seemingly steep and impossible hills in my life right now. They seem like a hard assignment, a difficult season, a challenge that I didn't see coming. But you know what? We don't climb entire mountains in one step, do we? We take one trip, then another, and then another. We take one step at a time because you know what? It's really cool. And I just thought of this. Faithfulness is built not in huge amounts, all at one time. It's built in small. In small ways. In repeated acts of obedience, trusting God, day after day, moment after moment, each time. Back in episode 102, when we learned about the complicated politics and the battles of the Korean War, today we looked at that same war from the viewpoint of a small horse who kept climbing. And now it's time for this episode's birthday shout outs. Happy Birthday to Striker waldo, who turned 13 recently. Happy birthday to Madeline Haney, who turned 7 on March 1. Happy birthday to Tabor Kyle, who turned 10 on March 3. Happy birthday to Maggie Gilbert, who turned 2 on March 5. Happy birthday to Emily Burchett, who turned 10 on March 5. Happy birthday to Elliot Orth, who turned 5 on March 6. Happy birthday to Ellie Albanese, who turns 8 today on March 9. Happy birthday to Leo Kelly, who turns 4 today on March 9. Happy birthday To Grayson Potts, who turns 8 on March 10. Happy birthday to Nova Reed, who turns 10 on March 10. Happy birthday to Poppy Walczyk, who turns 9 on March 11. Happy birthday to Isla Rose Chapman, who turns 8 on March 12. Happy birthday to Moses Wong, who turns 7 on March 13. Happy birthday to Tallulah Povis, who turns 5 on March 13. Happy birthday to Marvel Jennings, who turns 18 on March 14. Happy birthday to Dakota Kyle, who turns 13 on March 14. Happy birthday to Henry Meddy, who turns 8 on March 14. Happy birthday to Waverly Belcott, who turns 12 on March 15. And happy birthday to Larry Wayne Moorhead III, who turns 11 on March 19. Happy birthday. Happy Birthday to all of you from the Real Cool History for Kids family. I hope you guys have all enjoyed this adventure in history today. Remember to keep exploring and to keep asking questions. And always remember, history is full of all kinds of real adventures and really cool stories. I'll meet you here soon for our next episode of Real Cool History for Kids. Until then, with the help and grace of Jesus our Savior, be the best you ever.