Sgt Reckless

New York Times Bestseller! She wasn't a horse—she was a Marine. She might not have been much to look at—a small "Mongolian mare," they called her—but she came from racing stock, and had the blood of a champion. Much more than that, Reckless became a war hero—in fact, she became a combat Marine, earning staff sergeant's stripes before her retirement to Camp Pendleton. This once famous horse, recognized as late as 1997 by Life Magazine as one of America's greatest heroes—the greatest war horse in American history, in fact—has unfortunately now been largely forgotten. But author Robin Hutton is set to change all that. Not only has she been the force behind recognizing Reckless with a monument at the National Museum of the Marine Corps and at Camp Pendleton, but she has now recorded the full story of this four-legged war hero who hauled ammunition to embattled Marines and inspired them with her relentless, and reckless, courage.

The inspiring true story of Reckless, the brave little horse who became a Marine. This nonfiction picture book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling, in particular for children ages 4 to 6. It's a fun way to learn to read and as a supplement for activity books for children. When a group of US Marines fighting in the Korean War found a bedraggled mare, they wondered if she could be trained to as a packhorse. They had no idea that the skinny, underfed horse had one of the biggest and bravest hearts they'd ever known. And one of the biggest appetites! Soon Reckless showed herself more than willing to carry ammunition too heavy for the soldiers to haul. As cannons thundered and shells flew through the air, she marched into battle--again and again--becoming the only animal ever to officially hold military rank--becoming Sgt. Reckless--and receive two Purple Hearts. This is the first picture book from award-winning novelist Patricia McCormick, sumptuously illustrated by acclaimed artist Iacopo Bruno.

"Simple text and full-color illustrations describe the true story of Staff Sergeant Reckless, the Korean War horse"--

When the U.S. Marine Fifth Regiment's Recoilless Rifle Platoon acquired a small Korean pony to haul ammunition up the steep hills to the front lines, they got a real-life warhorse, the courageous and indomitable Reckless, who stood with her buddies for two years during the Korean War, saving lives, raising spirits, and winning the love and respect of all who knew her.

"Loren Spiotta-DiMare has captured the essence of Reckless in a way children will adore. Thoughtfully written and beautifully illustrated, Sgt. Reckless will leap off the page and into your child's heart, and become their favorite hero." -Robin Hutton, Author of New York Times bestseller Sgt. Reckless: America's War Horse She's a decorated Marine, a combat veteran, and a horse. Meet Sergeant Reckless! Sergeant Reckless is the remarkable true story of a horse who overcame great odds to become a hero. Raised and trained to become a racehorse in Seoul, Korea, Flame is destined to be a winner. But when the Korean War breaks out on the day of her first official race, her life changes forever. Flame's owner, Kim, flees to a safer place along with his family and beloved horse. When he returns, he meets an American Marine, Lieutenant Pederson, who purchases the little sorrel mare to serve with the Recoilless Rifle Platoon. The Marines rename her Reckless, and her amazing second career begins.

From the New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Heart of Everything That Is, comes the unlikely story of a racehorse who truly became a war hero, beloved by the Marine Corps and decorated for bravery. Her Korean name was Ah-Chim-Hai—Flame-of-the-Morning. A four-year-old chestnut-colored Mongolian racehorse, she once amazed the crowds in Seoul with her remarkable speed. But when war shut down the tracks, the star racer was sold to an American Marine and trained to carry heavy loads of artillery shells across steep hills under a barrage of bullets and bombs. The Marines renamed her Reckless. Reckless soon proved fearless under fire, boldly marching alone through the fiery gauntlet, exposed to explosions and shrapnel. On some of her uphill treks, Reckless shielded human reinforcements. The Chinese, soon discovering the bravery of this magnificent animal, made a special effort to kill her. But Reckless never slowed. As months passed, the men came to appreciate her not just as a horse but as a fellow Marine.

The men of the 8125th Sentry Dog Detachment had no idea what they would find when their ship docked at Incheon, Korea. The dogs in the unit seemed even more uncertain than the men: they could smell the terror in the place. Almost immediately, these soldiers came to rely on each other—man and dog alike—for safety, courage, and companionship. Yet in the end, the men of the 8125th could have never imagined the terrible and final sacrifice their canine companions would be forced to make. K-9 Korea is the heartrending story of American war dogs—the fearless, loyal, forgotten heroes of the Korean War.

Colorful and spellbinding, this is the combat autobiography of Sergeant Ralph "Zippo" Zumbro and the rarely told story of tank warfare in Vietnam. Zumbro's unit was the most highly decorated of the war, and his story is gripping reading for those interested in the Vietnam war and military nonfiction.

"After a fourteen-year estrangement, Maria Venegas returns to Mexico from the United States to visit her father, who is living in the old hacienda where both he and she were born. While spending the following summers and holidays together, herding cattle and fixing barbed-wire fences, he begins sharing stories with her, tales of a dramatic life filled with both intense love and brutal violence--from the final conversations he had with his own father, to his extradition from the United States for murder, to his mother's pride after he shot a man for the first time at the age of twelve"--Amazon.com.

In Conquerors' Pride, Timothy Zahn, Hugo Award-winning author of the New York Times bestselling Star Wars(r) trilogy, unfurled an epic tale of drama and courage as the interstallar Commonwealth faced savage invasion by alien starships of unknown origin. Now he probes deeply into the world of the invaders themselves in one of the most powerful evocations of an alien society ever created. The Zhirrzh have won a temporary respite in their war with the barbarians. But the Human captive Pheylan Cavanaugh has escaped, and for that Thrr-gilag, the young Searcher, finds himself disgraced, his bond-engagement to a female of a rival clan imperilled. Soon he becomes a target of hidden and powerful forces seeking to remake Zhirrzh society in their own merciless image. His only hope is to prove that the overclan authorities are wrong: that it was not the Humans who started the war. But time is short. The forces of the Zhirrzh are overextended and face swift retaliation. The Zhirrzh have learned to conquer death itself -- but even that awesome power will be no match for the devastating might of the Human Conqueror armadas. Thrr-gilag soon comes to realize that his people face a two-fold threat: destruction by Human technology. . . or destruction from within.