Being a soldier is pretty tough. The rigid training, preparing yourself for possible real-world war encounters. But one thing you don't expect is having to fight on your home turf. Especially when it's against mother nature herself.
Well, as reported by People, that's what two unlucky soldiers had to deal with. And, of course, it was in Alaska. During a training exercise on Monday, April 20, two soldiers had to wrestle with a bear. The incident happened at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson during a "land navigation training event".
But, luckily for the soldiers, they were equipped with bespoke anti-bear spray. "During the encounter, both soldiers were equipped with and deployed bear spray," the Army said in a statement. I'm not sure how effective it'd be against humans, but I for one am glad they had such good anti-bear kit.
Both soldiers were injured, and are currently receiving medical care. Luckily, things don't seem to be too grave. But, their identities are being kept private due to privacy reasons.
But, it seems like the anti-establishment bear is still on the loose, as of April 18. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game said that it was a "defensive attack". The bear was apparently coming out of its den from hibernation. I guess I'd be the same way if someone disturbed my nice long nap!
We hope they recover soon.
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Bear Attacks Aren't as Uncommon as You'd Think
But it seems like bear attacks aren't as uncommon as you'd think. Once you get to a point far enough north that they're properly in the wild, things get dangerous quick.
The BBC reported back in November 2025 that a Canadian school group had 11 people injured. This came after a grizzly bear attacked the group of students in the town of Bella Coola in British Columbia.
According to one of the parents, a male teacher "got the whole brunt of it", whilst other students were hit with bear spray during the brawl. The British Columbia Emergency Health Services explained in a statement that two people were critically injured in the attack and two others were seriously hurt. However, seven were treated at the scene.
