6. Poker game with a twist

During World War II, the Marine won a duck, named Siwash, over a poker game in New Zealand.

Even though she was their mascot, in 1943, while the Battle of Tarawa was taking place, Siwash engaged in a fight with a Japanese rooster. And even though she was injured, she won the fight.

Her courageous acts had her awarded with the following citation:

,,For courageous action and wounds received on Tarawa, in the Gilbert Islands, November 1943. With utter disregard for his own personal safety, Siwash, upon reaching the beach, without hesitation engaged the enemy in fierce combat, namely, one rooster of Japanese ancestry, and though wounded on the head by repeated pecks, he soon routed the opposition. He refused medical aid until all wounded members of his section had been care of.”

Fun fact: Siwash had a soft spot for beer.

She retired at the Lincoln Park Zoo where her gender was finally revealed since the Marine thought the duck was male.