Warrior
In an extraordinary tale of loyalty and friendship, the story of Warrior would unfold in the pages of a book published in 1934 and be retold on the screen in the movie, War Horse: The Real Story.
Warrior himself, was a bay Thoroughbred born in 1908 on the Isle of Wight. From that day, to the mass call-up of horses for the war effort, through the last cavalry charge against the Germans near Amien, Warrior served his master, General Jack Seely. Seely was a friend of Winston Churchill. Warrior would become one of the most famous war horses of the modern world.
Leaving for France in 1914, Warrior spent five years cheating death on the front lines, returning home to the island, to spend the remaining 19 years of his life together with Seely. There can be no greater pledge of heart than this.
Sergeant Reckless
Another war hero – or rather heroine, was Sergeant Reckless, so named for the heavy, six-foot-long recoilless or “reckless” rifles she carried. This sturdy little Mongolian mare made 51 trips from the ammo supply point to the firing sites in one five-day battle, most of which were unaccompanied. She walked over 35 miles through rice paddies and up mountains with almost five tons of ammunition, all the while enduring enemy fire at a rate of 500 rounds per minute.
Rescuing wounded soldiers, enjoying Marine Corp rations, and drinking coffee, Reckless was taken back to the United States in 1954 where she was given her final home by the 5th Marines. Promoted to Staff Sergeant, she gave new definition to the meaning of “heart”. Reckless was awarded two Purple Hearts, numerous citations and medals and retired with full military honours; one of only four horses with that distinction. The foursome includes: Chief (last living combat cavalry charger in the US); Comanche, (sole survivor of the Battle of the Big Horn); Black Jack (the riderless horse for President John F. Kennedy’s funeral); and Sergeant Reckless.