Bear Grylls' Time in the Military Concluded After a Parachuting Accident
By Shannon RaphaelSep. 14 2021, Published 11:30 a.m. ET
Survivalist Edward Michael "Bear" Grylls has been chronicling his outdoor adventures on tv for years with best presentations like Man vs. Wild and Running Wild with Bear Grylls.
He's become one in every of the maximum well-known outdoorsmen in the international thanks to his TV techniques and his Netflix specials (the newest is You vs. Wild: Out Cold).
Before he battled the elements in front of the cameras, Bear served in the military — which is if truth be told where he advanced a lot of the adventure abilities that viewers see on his presentations.
Read on to find out extra about Bear's time in the military, his circle of relatives existence, and his faith.
Was Bear Grylls in the military?
Long earlier than he starred in the likes of Man vs. Wild, Running Wild with Bear Grylls, and Bear Grylls Wild Adventure, the London native spent three years as a soldier.
From 1994 until 1997, Bear was in the Territorial Services as a part of the 21 SAS (Special Air Service) Regiment. During this time, he evolved many of the survival skills that audience would later see on his TV presentations — like barren region and iciness battle, parachuting, struggle survival, and mountain climbing.
He served in North Africa twice, however his time in in the military was cut quick when his parachute failed to open properly in 1996. Bear broke 3 vertebrae during this twist of fate in Kenya, and he spent months in and out of military rehabilitation.
Once his time in the military had concluded, Bear focused on his lifelong dream of hiking Mount Everest. He finished the expedition simply 18 months after his severe back damage, when he was 23 years outdated.
Following his profession in the service, in 2004, Bear won an honorary rank as a Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Naval Reserve. About 9 years later, in 2013, Bear gained another honorary rank. This time, it was as a lieutenant colonel in the Royal Marines Reserve.
Bear Grylls stated that faith is the "backbone" in his life and the "glue" of his circle of relatives.
The adventurer was raised as an Anglican, and he has been open about how faith is an integral part of his life. In 2015, Bear told Radio Times that he begins every day with a prayer (consistent with The Herald).
"I try to start every day by kneeling down and saying, 'Lord Jesus, I ain't got it all right, and I'm nervous about today," he advised Radio Times.
"I will give it my all, but will you help me? It's never more complicated than that," Bear persisted about his prayers. "I probably don't go to church enough, but my faith is a quiet, strong backbone in my life, and the glue to our family."
The TV survivalist made headlines when he prayed with President Barack Obama all the way through an episode of Running Wild, which aired in December 2015.
"It's one of the most special moments of my life," Bear shared with The New York Times. "I wanted to put my hand on his shoulder and say a bit of a prayer, to pray for protection over his family and for forgiveness when you get things wrong."
The survivalist lives off-the grid with his wife and youngsters in North Wales.
When he isn't guiding celebrities around the wild or showcasing his survival skills on TV, Bear is a devoted family man. He wed Shara Cannings Knight in 2000, and the couple has 3 sons in combination. Their first kid, Jesse, was born in 2003. Sons Marmaduke and Huckleberry followed in 2006 and 2009, respectively.
The family resides on an island in North Wales, which Bear said is his "happy place."
"We have no mains electricity or water and run everything totally off-grid, but we love it," he advised Hello! in June 2021. "Our three boys, Shara and I are happier there than anywhere else on earth — adventure and solitude mixed with fun and family. My happy place."
While Bear is often in price of his own destiny when he is battling the elements, his latest Netflix particular is interactive — which means that audience can make a decision how he fares in the wild.
You vs. Wild: Out Cold is available to stream on Netflix now.
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