With December already here and the holidays fast approaching, our collective human hivemind starts craving a specific type of content.

The Fuzzy.

The Wholesome.

The Comforting.

And The Warm.

Naturally, this means I started racking my brain to write an article that fits each of these requirements. Quickly, I realized the one thing that fits all four:

Bears.

Or at least: the pop culture perception of what cartoonish bears must be like.

You know the drill—more Winnie The Pooh and We Bare Bears, and less “List of Fatal Bear Attacks in North America.”

But there is one story that narrows the bridge between both sides of the Bear Spectrum.

And that is, of course, the tale of Wojtek, the Bear Soldier.

Wojtek was not always named that—he was, first and foremost, an orphaned Syrian brown bear cub. His known journey began in 1942 when a group of Polish soldiers and civilians bought him into Iran. World War II had just started, and they were marching toward the Middle East from Siberia, after being evacuated.

After some months, the bear ended up being adopted by the 22^nd Artillery Supply Company.

He received his name: Wojtek.

Since he was still a cub, the soldiers fed him, in true Eastern European fashion, condensed milk.

From a vodka bottle.

His diet then diversified to fruit, honey, and syrup, and eventually—when he became of age, of course—beer and cigarettes. Which he loved.

A diet of beer and cigarettes? Wojtek The Bear was already one of the boys!

The bond between the soldiers at the 22^nd Artillery Supply Company and Wojtek was unbreakable. They wrestled for fun, cuddled at night when it was cold, and even taught the bear how to salute. Wojtek loved his soldier brothers and imitated them in their actions, including marching along with them. The soldiers loved Wojtek in turn, and assigned a caregiver to him.

The 22^nd Company toured the Middle East with Wojtek through Iraq, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt.

As WWII raged on, they were assigned to Italy, alongside the British Eighth Army.

There was no problem, until the British ship decreed that pets were not allowed on board. The soldiers were not about to leave Wojtek to his fate. So they devised a clever solution:

Make him one of their own.

Wojtek was therefore enlisted into the Polish Army, and became a certified member of the 22^nd Artillery Supply Company, with the rank of Private. After all, the ship rules didn’t say anything about soldiers that happened to be animals.

It is then that the legend began.

During the Battle of Monte Cassino, Private Wojtek refused to be on the sidelines. Since he loved copying whatever his soldier brothers were doing, he took it upon himself to assist during combat by repeatedly carrying around 100 pound artillery crates.

Wojtek could carry what many men had to struggle together to do. He did so quickly, efficiently, and without dropping anything. He made a difference for his company, and thus he was promoted to Corporal.

The war eventually ended, and the soldiers returned home. Wojtek could not stay in the barracks forever, and thus he found a new place to live in the Edinburgh Zoo, away from the chaos of war. And the lure of cigarettes and alcohol…

… At least most of the time. His soldier brothers often visited him and smuggled in cigarettes to remember the old times. Wojtek recognized each one of them, greeting and saluting them as he did back in the war days.

Wojtek died at 21 years old in 1963 after living a full life.

His legacy is huge – there are many of statues of him, and several films retelling his adventures. However, his biggest impact was within the 22^nd Artillery Supply Company.

Corporal Wojtek the Bear was loved by his soldier brothers. He brought joy, peace, and a sense of nurture and warmth to men forced to fight and witness war.

Plus, how many men can say they’ve shared beers with a bear?

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