Military Review English Edition January-February 2017 | Page 137

BOOK REVIEWS

innovation by taking into account the unique perspective
of the British and French armies. The authors purposefully did not seek to test any type of theory but conveyed
an army transformation story highlighting contingencies
and complexities, along with politics and personality involvement. They wanted to capture the whole story, and
had they added the theory premise, key elements of the
story might have been deleted if those elements did not
contribute to the consistency of the stated theory.
Joint aspects of innovation are not well balanced in
the book although it is well written. The focus weighs
more heavily toward the British and French militaries.
Topics of interest that stand out include the relative scales
of innovation (sustaining and disruptive), the impact of
joint institutions on military innovation, and the role of
civilian versus military leadership and how they shape
military innovation. I highly recommended this work
for military professionals and policy makers interested
or involved in military innovation and those seeking to
understand how armies respond to challenges.

Lt. Col. Stephen Harvey, U.S. Army,
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

RECKLESS

The Racehorse Who Became a
Marine Corps Hero

Tom Clavin, New American Library Caliber,
New York, 2014, 308 pages

W

arfare, for all its horrors, forges the strongest bond possible between soldiers. The
oft-quoted battle speech from Shakespeare’s
Henry V perhaps puts it best, “We few, we happy few, we
band of brothers; For he today that sheds his blood with
me, Shall be my brother.” Since antiquity, soldiers also
developed equally strong ties with the dogs, horses, birds,
and even elephants that joined them on the battlefield.
Tom Clavin’s latest book, Reckless, relates the story of an
unlikely marine—a former South Korean racehorse—
and her pivotal role in a U.S. Marines platoon during the
final months of the Korean War.
Born with the Hangul name Ah-Chim-Hai (Flame of
the Morning), she began her career as an award-winning
racehorse in the interwar years between the fall of the
Axis powers and North Korea’s surprise invasion of the
MILITARY REVIEW  January-February 2017

south in 1950. Like so many South Korean refugees, AhChim-Hai fled with her owners to the Pusan perimeter,
where they eked out a meager living using her as a workhorse, before eventually returning to Seoul
in 1952. The horse’s
return was short-lived
as the exigencies of
war forced her family
to offer her for sale.
At the same time, 2nd
Lt. Eric Pedersen, a
sharp-thinking marine
recoilless rifle platoon
leader, recognized the
critical need for a dedicated pack animal to
haul heavy ammunition loads up the steep
Korean mountainsides in support of infantry offensive
operations. Through fate or chance, Pedersen bought AnChim-Hai, renamed her Reckless, and drafted her into
the Marine Corps.
After an abbreviated boot camp (for both horse and
handlers), Reckless repeatedly proved her worth on the
battlefield until the cease-fire in 1953. Reckless’s strength,
bravery, and character soon endeared her to the marines
she soldiered alongside. During the Battle of Hill 120, for
example, Reckless carried some nine thousand pounds of
recoilless rifle ammunition about thirty-five miles while
also hauling wounded marines to medical care despite
being twice wounded herself. The marines loved her and
insisted she return in glory to the United States at the
end of conflict. By the time of her “retirement,” Reckless
earned a bevy of awards, including promotion to staff
sergeant, two Purple Hearts, the Marine Corps Good
Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal,
the Korean Service Medal, and two unit citations. Until
her passing in 1968, Reckless was a key figure in the
official ceremonies at her new home in Camp Pendleton,
California. Today, Reckless’s service is commemorated
by a memorial statue at the National Museum of the
Marine Corps in Triangle, Virginia.
Reckless is much more than another story about the
Korean War. The book provides three critical lessons for
military leaders at all levels. First, it accurately captures
and explains the unique bonds exclusively developed
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