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August 20, 2005 on 4:44 pm | In Humor, Personal |
Nils Olav received a promotion on Wednesday to Colonel in Chief of the
Royal Norwegian Guard. Yes, this high rank in the Norwegian military
has in fact been bestowed on a penguin.
In 1962 young lieutenant in the Royal Norwegian Guard Niels Egelien visited Edinburgh Zoo
and was quite taken with the penguins. On a return visit in 1972, he
arranged for his regiment to sponsor a king penguin which they adopted
and awarded the rank of Lance Corporal. The name was chosen on behalf
of the lieutenant who first got excited about the penguins and the then
king of Norway, King Olav. Since then, every time the soldiers have
come to visit, Nils Olav has received a promotion. (This article is from a place called No Sheep.)
(The article below is from Wickipedia.)
Role in the military
During the Edinburgh Military Tattoo of 1961 a Norwegian unit became interested in Edinburgh Zoo's penguin colony. When the Guards once again returned to Edinburgh in 1972, they adopted a penguin, naming him for the then Guard Commander, Nils Egelien, and for the King of Norway, Olav V.
Nils Olav was given the rank of visekorporal (lance corporal) in 1982, and promoted to sergeant in 1987.
Nils died shortly after his promotion to sergeant, and his place of
honour was taken by Nils Olav II, his two-year-old near-double. He was
promoted in 1993 to the rank of regimental sergeant major. On August 18, 2005, he was promoted to Colonel-in-Chief. He is the first penguin to hold this rank in the Norwegian (indeed, any) army. His bronze statue stands in Edinburgh Zoo and at the Royal Norwegian Guard compound at Huseby, Oslo.
Colonel-in-Chief Nils Olav inspects the Royal Norwegian Guard.
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