"On September 5, 1942, United States Navy Petty Officer First Class Charles Jackson French, of Omaha Nebraska, swam through the night for 6 - 8 hours pulling a raft of 15 wounded sailors with a rope around his stomach through shark-infested waters after the USS Gregory was hit by Japanese naval fire near Guadalcanal. French successfully brought the men to safety on the shores of the Solomon Islands. French was the first black swimmer to earn the Navy Medal for his heroism in 1943. French's story first came to light when Robert N. Adrian a young ensign,

Corporal Jackie was a baboon in the South African army during World War I. He was the official mascot of the 3rd Transvaal Regimen when his owner, Albert Marr was drafted into war, and would not leave Jackie at home. He asked his superiors if Jackie, too, could join the army and they said yes. So Jackie was given an official style uniform with a cap, a ration set, and his own pay book. Jackie would salute superior officers and light soldiers' cigarettes. He would even stand at ease in the style of a trained soldier. Due to his heightened senses, Jackie

The man you’re looking at is Leo Major. He was a French-Canadian soldier who single-handedly wreaked havoc in Europe during WW2. He is the only Canadian and one of only three soldiers in the British Commonwealth to ever receive the Distinguished Conduct Medal (equivalent to the Navy Cross) twice in separate wars.
During a reconnaissance mission on D-Day, Major captured a German half-track by himself.
Days later, he killed an entire SS patrol. However, one of them managed to ignite a phosphorus grenade. After the resulting explosion, Major lost one eye.