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Wojtek (VOY-TEK)

During World War II, soldiers in the Polish Army stationed in Iran, adopted a small orphaned brown bear they named Woytek (VOY-TEK). When the Polish soldiers were deployed to Italy to fight as part of the British 8th Army, they had a problem: how to get Wojtek onto the British ship that would transport them?

The solution? They officially drafted Wojtek into the Polish Army. He was put on the roster of the soldiers of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the Polish II Corps as "Private Wojtek."

As an officially enlisted "soldier," Wojtek lived with his fellow soldiers, sharing their tents, wrestling with them, enjoying bottles of beer, and driving in the passenger side of their military vehicles. During the Battle of Monte Cassino, Wojtek was seen by several witnesses carrying ammunition from trucks to the field. He never dropped a crate. The silhouette of Wojtek carrying an artillery shell became the official emblem of the 22nd Company, which was later renamed the 22nd Transport Company.

When the War ended in 1945, Wojtek traveled with some of the troops to Berwickshire, Scotland where the Polish-Scottish Association made him an honorary member. He lived for a time on a farm, but on November 15, 1947, was given a permanent home in Edinburgh Zoo. His former comrades in arms would often visit him, and he would always respond with interest to greetings in the Polish language. Wojtek passed away in December 1963, aged 22. A memorial plaque in the Edinburgh Zoo commemorates Wojtek, as do plaques in Briatin's Imperial War Museum and in the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, and a memorial sculpture in the Sikorski Museum in London.

The story of Woytek is well-documented. It is an amazing love story between a bear and the troops who adopted him, and - like all great love stories - it goes on, in this case highlighting how Poles, under any circumstances, can be resilient, fun-loving, original, resourceful and a bit amazing - all good things. The story of Wojtek, in fact, belongs to, and is an inspiration to, all Poles and people of Polish origins worldwide!