G.I.: Difference between revisions
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[[File:SC180577t.jpg|thumb |
[[File:SC180577t.jpg|thumb|G.I.s from the [[25th Infantry Division (United States)|25th Infantry Division]] in the jungle of [[Vella Lavella]] in the [[Solomon Islands]], during [[Operation Cartwheel]] on 13 September 1943]] |
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'''G.I.''' is an informal term that refers to "a soldier in the United States armed forces, especially the army"<ref name="collins">{{cite web|date=2019|title=G.I. Definition from CollinsDictionary.com|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/gi|access-date=11 November 2023|work=Collins Dictionary|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers Ltd and Penguin Random House LLC}}</ref> It is mostly deeply associated with [[World War II]],<ref name="wordorig" /> but continues to see use.<ref name="Rawson" /> |
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It was originally an [[acronym|initialism]] used in [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] paperwork for items made of [[Galvanization|galvanized]] iron.<ref name="wordorig">{{cite web|last=Wilton|first=Dave|date=2 February 2009|title=G.I. – Wordorigins.org|url=https://www.wordorigins.org/big-list-entries/gi|access-date=11 November 2023|website=Word Origins|publisher=Wordorigins.org}}</ref> The earliest known instance in writing is from either 1906<ref name="Rawson">{{cite web| first=Hugh | last=Rawson | url=https://www.americanheritage.com/why-do-we-say-gi | title=Why do we say "G.I."? | publisher=American Heritage | volume=57 | issue=2 | date=April–May 2006}}</ref> or 1907.<ref name="wordorig" /> |
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⚫ | During [[World War I]], U.S. soldiers took to referring to heavy German [[artillery]] [[Shell (projectile)|shells]] as "G.I. cans".<ref name="wordorig" /><ref name="Rawson" /> During the same war, "G.I.", reinterpreted as "government issue"<ref name="wordorig" /> or "general issue",<ref name="Rawson" /> began being used to refer to any item associated with the U.S. Army<ref name="Rawson" /> (e.g. "G.I. soap"<ref name="Rawson" />). Other reinterpretations of "G.I." include "garrison issue" and "general infantry".<ref name="Rawson" /> |
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It was originally an [[acronym]] used in [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] paperwork for items made of [[Galvanization|galvanized]] iron.<ref name="wordorig">{{cite web|last=Wilton|first=Dave|date=2 February 2009|title=G.I. – Wordorigins.org|url=https://www.wordorigins.org/big-list-entries/gi|access-date=11 November 2023|website=Word Origins|publisher=Wordorigins.org}}</ref> The earliest known instance in writing is from either 1906<ref name="Rawson">{{cite web| first=Hugh | last=Rawson | url=https://www.americanheritage.com/why-do-we-say-gi | title=Why do we say "G.I."? | publisher=American Heritage | volume=57 | issue=2 | date=April–May 2006}}</ref> or 1907.<ref name="wordorig" /> |
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The earliest known recorded instances of "G.I." being used to refer to an American [[Enlisted rank|enlisted]] man as a [[slang]] term are from 1935.<ref name="wordorig" /> In the form of "G.I. Joe" it was made better known due to it being taken as the title of a comic strip by [[Dave Breger]] in ''[[Yank, the Army Weekly]]'', beginning in 1942.<ref name="wordorig" /> A 1944 radio drama, {{anchor|They_Call_Me_Joe20191201}}''They Call Me Joe'', reached a much broader audience. It featured a different individual each week, thereby emphasizing that "G.I. Joe" encompassed U.S. soldiers of all ethnicities.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rivas-Rodriguez |first1=Maggie |title=A Soldier's Story: World War II and the Forgotten Battle for the Aleutian Islands |date=11 November 2016 |url=http://www.kut.org/post/soldiers-story-world-war-ii-and-forgotten-battle-aleutian-islands |publisher=[[KUT|KUT (radio station)]] |access-date=29 September 2018}}</ref> ''They Call Me Joe'' reached civilians across the U.S. via the [[NBC Radio Network]] and U.S. soldiers via the [[Armed Forces Radio Network]]. |
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⚫ | During [[World War I]], |
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The earliest known recorded instances of "G.I." being used to refer to an American [[Enlisted rank|enlisted]] man (as a [[slang]] term) are from 1935.<ref name="wordorig" /> In the form of "G.I. Joe" it was made better known due to it being taken as the [[ G.I. Joe (comics)|title of a comic strip]] by [[Dave Breger]] in [[Yank, the Army Weekly]] starting in 1942.<ref name="wordorig" /> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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* [[Digger (soldier)]] – A similar term used in Australia |
* [[Digger (soldier)]] – A similar term used in Australia |
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* [[Doughboy]] |
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* [[Dogface (military)]] |
* [[Dogface (military)]] |
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* [[Folk etymology]] |
* [[Folk etymology]] |
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* [[G.I. Joe (disambiguation)]] |
* [[G.I. Joe (disambiguation)]] |
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* [[G-Man (slang)]] |
* [[G-Man (slang)]] |
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* ''[[The Story of G.I. Joe]]'' (1945 film) |
* ''[[The Story of G.I. Joe]]'' (1945 film) |
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* [[Tommy Atkins]] (soldier) – British slang for a common soldier |
* [[Tommy Atkins]] (soldier) – British slang for a common soldier |
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== References == |
== References == |
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{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
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== External links == |
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{{Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century}} |
{{Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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[[Category:Initialisms]] |
[[Category:Initialisms]] |
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[[Category:Military terminology of the United States]] |
[[Category:Military terminology of the United States]] |
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[[Category:United States Army personnel killed in World War II| ]] |
[[Category:United States Army personnel killed in World War II| ]] |
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Revision as of 19:26, 8 May 2024
G.I. is an informal term that refers to "a soldier in the United States armed forces, especially the army"[1] It is mostly deeply associated with World War II,[2] but continues to see use.[3]
It was originally an initialism used in U.S. Army paperwork for items made of galvanized iron.[2] The earliest known instance in writing is from either 1906[3] or 1907.[2]
During World War I, U.S. soldiers took to referring to heavy German artillery shells as "G.I. cans".[2][3] During the same war, "G.I.", reinterpreted as "government issue"[2] or "general issue",[3] began being used to refer to any item associated with the U.S. Army[3] (e.g. "G.I. soap"[3]). Other reinterpretations of "G.I." include "garrison issue" and "general infantry".[3]
The earliest known recorded instances of "G.I." being used to refer to an American enlisted man as a slang term are from 1935.[2] In the form of "G.I. Joe" it was made better known due to it being taken as the title of a comic strip by Dave Breger in Yank, the Army Weekly, beginning in 1942.[2] A 1944 radio drama, They Call Me Joe, reached a much broader audience. It featured a different individual each week, thereby emphasizing that "G.I. Joe" encompassed U.S. soldiers of all ethnicities.[4] They Call Me Joe reached civilians across the U.S. via the NBC Radio Network and U.S. soldiers via the Armed Forces Radio Network.
"G.I. Jane" originally referred to a member of the Women's Army Corps during World War II but more recently it is used to refer to any American woman soldier.[3]
In British military parlance and in armed forces modelled on British military traditions, G.I. refers to a Gunnery Instructor, generally an NCO responsible for inducting and training recruits.[citation needed]
See also
- Digger (soldier) – A similar term used in Australia
- Doughboy
- Dogface (military)
- Folk etymology
- G.I. Bill
- G.I. Blues (film)
- G.I. Generation
- G.I. Jane (film)
- G.I. Jill – disk jockey for the World War II program G.I Jive
- G.I. Joe (pigeon) – a pigeon who served in World War II
- G.I. Joe (disambiguation)
- G-Man (slang)
- Mehmetçik (soldier) – Turkish slang for a common soldier
- The Story of G.I. Joe (1945 film)
- Tommy Atkins (soldier) – British slang for a common soldier
References
- ^ "G.I. Definition from CollinsDictionary.com". Collins Dictionary. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd and Penguin Random House LLC. 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Wilton, Dave (2 February 2009). "G.I. – Wordorigins.org". Word Origins. Wordorigins.org. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Rawson, Hugh (April–May 2006). "Why do we say "G.I."?". American Heritage.
- ^ Rivas-Rodriguez, Maggie (11 November 2016). "A Soldier's Story: World War II and the Forgotten Battle for the Aleutian Islands". KUT (radio station). Retrieved 29 September 2018.