This week's collection of whimsical and curious stories will continue last edition's theme of animals serving in the armed forces. However, today's protagonist is not a seafaring cat but instead a land-based penguin.
Nils Olav III - As previously discussed, cats have a long and distinguished history of serving aboard Royal Navy vessels. However, no cat has ever risen to command one of her Majesty's ships. The Norwegian armed forces seem to have less reservations when it comes to the species of their commanding officers. And so it was that in 1972, a king penguin named Nils Olav was given the rank of lance corporal ("Visekorporal") of the Norwegian King's Guard.
One penguin to rule them all - The story of how a king penguin came to be a commanding officer in the Norwegian army started in 1913. It was then that the Edinburgh zoo was founded and gifted its first king penguin by a Norwegian shipping magnate. 59 years later, the Norwegian King's Guard visited Edinburgh for a drill display. Being interested in the zoo's penguin colony, lieutenant Nils Egelien arranged for his unit to adopt a penguin subsequently named Nils Olav in honor of Mr. Egelien himself and king Olav V of Norway.
Since then, Nils Olav and his two successors have achieved a dazzling military career. Each time his regiment visited the zoo, he was promoted one rank until Nils Olav III finally became colonel-in-chief in 2005. Three years later, he was even awarded a knighthood (where he was lauded as a penguin "in every way qualified to receive [this] honour and dignity").
Sir Nils Olav III inspects troops of the King's Guard. Military insignia is attached to his right flipper.
Not just Norway - While Nils Olav is the only bird to hold a military rank, there are other examples of non-humans to serve in the armed forces, most notably:
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