To ALL Who Served
Photo credit: Kimerlee Curyl Photography
Today we celebrate Veterans Day
Created on June 1, 1954 to honor former military members and thank them for their service, but did you know (according to a 2019 poll *) 49% of veterans actually don’t like to be thanked, feeling uneasy with the expression “Thank you for your service.” A preferred greeting is “I appreciate you and all of the sacrifices you and your family have made.”
By no means downplaying the debt we owe these brave homo sapien veterans, millions of equids also served, although not voluntarily. One of the most famous, ranked as one of America’s greatest war heroes for her deeds and named by Life magazine among America’s top 100 heroes in 1997, is United States Marine Corps 1st Division, 5th Regiment, Sgt. Reckless. This small Mongolian mare served during the Korean War, was wounded twice, and decorated with two Purple Hearts. She was one of the lucky ones who returned to the United States and lived out her days at Camp Pendleton until she died in 1968.
Horses and mules shaped American history in tall our wars at home and overseas. So on this day when we are honoring the humans who served, let’s take a moment to thank the equine soldiers who have contributed to our nation.
Sgt Reckless at work
*Poll commissioned by the Cohen Veterans Network
You can comment by clicking on the link at top.