Reckless was a race bred mare, sired by a Korean stallion and out of a Japanese mare. She was purchased to help the Marines during the Korean war, and was soon adopted by the men as a mascot. They would load her down with shells, give her a pat on the rump, and off she'd go to the cannons, where she'd get a peppermint, and be sent back for another load the same way. She was not only made honorary sargeant when she was brought back to the States, but received the Purple Heart as well. In the later years of the M.A.S.H TV series, they occasionaly had a horse in camp in much the same way Reckless lived in real life. ...and yes, I did botch a word in the song; 'men' should not be plural. I didn't realize it until sometime after I recorded it, and decided to leave it in. :-/ (less info)