G.I.: Difference between revisions
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{{About|the term for US |
{{About|the term for US soldiers||GI (disambiguation){{!}}GI}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date= |
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}} |
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{{Use American English|date=May 2021}} |
{{Use American English|date=May 2021}} |
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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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During [[World War I]], American soldiers sardonically referred to incoming German [[Shell (projectile)|artillery shell]]s as "G.I. cans." Also during that war, "G.I." started being interpreted as "Government Issue" or "General Issue" for the general items of equipment of soldiers and airmen. The term "G.I." came into widespread use in the United States with the start of the [[Selective Service System]] ("the draft") in 1940, extending into 1941. It gradually replaced the term "[[Doughboy]]" that was used in World War I. Next, the use of "G.I." expanded from 1942 through 1945. American [[Five-star general|five-star General]] [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] said in 1945 that "the truly heroic figure of this war [is] G.I. Joe and his counterpart in the air, the navy, and the Merchant Marine of every one of the [[Allies of World War II|United Nations]]."<ref name="newsreel">{{cite video | url=https://archive.org/details/1945-05-10_Funeral_Pyres_of_Nazidom | title=Funeral Pyres of Nazidom | publisher=Universal Newsreel | date=10 May 1945 | people=Eisenhower, Dwight D.}}</ref> |
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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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"G.I." was also used as an adjective for anything having to do with the US Army or Army Air Force.<ref name="wordorig"/> |
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"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.<ref name="Rawson" /> |
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{{anchor|They_Call_Me_Joe20191201}}''They Call Me Joe'' was a series of radio dramas aired in 1944. Each episode focused on a different fictional American soldier. A soldier of a different national or ethnic origin was selected for each episode, but he was always identified as a G.I. named Joe. The series was intended to encourage Americans of varying backgrounds to cooperate to win World War II. It was produced by the [[NBC University Theatre|NBC University of the Air]], which also produced a series The World's Great Novels.<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> The series ran for twelve weeks<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1944-07-16/ed-1/seq-44/|title=For Radio Listeners|date=July 16, 1944|work=Evening Star|access-date=Nov 30, 2019|publication-place=Washington, D.C.}}</ref> and aired both on the [[NBC Radio Network]] and the [[Armed Forces Radio Network]]. |
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"[[G.I. Joe]]," an action figure, was introduced by [[Hasbro]] in 1964. Its name comes from the term used to describe soldiers during the war. |
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* [[Greatest Generation]], the social history of these veterans |
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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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* [[G.I. Bill]], postwar benefits for veterans |
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* [[Folk etymology]] |
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* [[G.I. Bill]] |
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* ''[[G.I. Blues]]'' (film) |
* ''[[G.I. Blues]]'' (film) |
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* [[G.I. Generation]] |
* [[G.I. Generation]] |
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* ''[[G.I. Jane]]'' (film) |
* ''[[G.I. Jane]]'' (film) |
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* [[ |
* [[G.I. Joe (pigeon)]] – birds used in World War II |
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* [[G.I. Joe (pigeon)]] – a pigeon who served in World War II |
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* [[G.I. Joe (disambiguation)]] |
* [[G.I. Joe (disambiguation)]] |
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* [[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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* [[Mehmetçik]] (soldier) – Turkish slang for a common soldier |
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* ''[[Sunrise in Heaven]]'' (film) |
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== References == |
== References == |
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{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
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==Further reading== |
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* Cooke, James J. ''American girls, beer, and Glenn Miller: GI morale in World War II'' (University of Missouri Press, 2012) [https://books.google.com/books?id=yIYGzx8KIjsC&dq=GI+world+war&pg=PT13 online]. |
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* Kennett, Lee B. ''GI: The American Soldier in World War II'' (University of Oklahoma Press, 1997) [https://books.google.com/books?id=6HtmLfmMuBEC&dq=GI+world+war&pg=PR7 online]. |
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* Meyer, Leisa D. ''Creating GI Jane: Sexuality and power in the women's army corps during World War II'' (Columbia University Press, 1996) [https://books.google.com/books?id=74HbVPoawn0C&dq=GI+world+war&pg=PA1 online]. |
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* Piehler, G. Kurt. ''A religious history of the American GI in World War II'' (U of Nebraska Press, 2021) [https://books.google.com/books?id=271FEAAAQBAJ&dq=GI+world+war&pg=PA397 online]. |
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* Sklaroff, Lauren Rebecca. "Constructing GI Joe Louis: Cultural solutions to the “Negro problem” during World War II." ''Journal of American History'' 89.3 (2002): 958-983. [https://doi.org/10.2307/3092347 online] |
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===Primary sources=== |
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* McGuire, Phillip, ed. ''Taps for a Jim Crow Army: Letters from Black Soldiers in World War II'' (University Press of Kentucky, 1993). ISBN 0-8131-0822-5.. |
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* [[Ernie Pyle|Pyle, Ernie]] ''Here is your war: story of GI Joe'' (U of Nebraska Press, 2004) reprint of newspaper essays by famous war correspondent who focused on soldiers' life [https://books.google.com/books?id=ef73ROVaoooC&dq=ernie+pyle&pg=PA1 online]. |
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* Shapiro, Lisa K. ''No Forgotten Fronts: From Classrooms to Combat'' (Naval Institute Press, 2018) ISBN 9781682472729. Letters from GIs to college professor; primary sources; [https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showpdf.php?id=58913 online book review] |
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{{Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century}} |
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== External links == |
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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 of World War II| ]] |
Latest revision as of 02:19, 6 September 2024
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/SC180577t.jpg/220px-SC180577t.jpg)
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
[edit]- Greatest Generation, the social history of these veterans
- Digger (soldier) – A similar term used in Australia
- Doughboy
- Dogface (military)
- G.I. Bill, postwar benefits for veterans
- G.I. Blues (film)
- G.I. Generation
- G.I. Jane (film)
- G.I. Joe (pigeon) – birds used in World War II
- G.I. Joe (disambiguation)
- The Story of G.I. Joe (1945 film)
- Tommy Atkins (soldier) – British slang for a common soldier
References
[edit]- ^ "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.
Further reading
[edit]- Cooke, James J. American girls, beer, and Glenn Miller: GI morale in World War II (University of Missouri Press, 2012) online.
- Kennett, Lee B. GI: The American Soldier in World War II (University of Oklahoma Press, 1997) online.
- Meyer, Leisa D. Creating GI Jane: Sexuality and power in the women's army corps during World War II (Columbia University Press, 1996) online.
- Piehler, G. Kurt. A religious history of the American GI in World War II (U of Nebraska Press, 2021) online.
- Sklaroff, Lauren Rebecca. "Constructing GI Joe Louis: Cultural solutions to the “Negro problem” during World War II." Journal of American History 89.3 (2002): 958-983. online
Primary sources
[edit]- McGuire, Phillip, ed. Taps for a Jim Crow Army: Letters from Black Soldiers in World War II (University Press of Kentucky, 1993). ISBN 0-8131-0822-5..
- Pyle, Ernie Here is your war: story of GI Joe (U of Nebraska Press, 2004) reprint of newspaper essays by famous war correspondent who focused on soldiers' life online.
- Shapiro, Lisa K. No Forgotten Fronts: From Classrooms to Combat (Naval Institute Press, 2018) ISBN 9781682472729. Letters from GIs to college professor; primary sources; online book review
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg/40px-Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg.png)