Over the last two centuries, America's soldiers have been given several nicknames, among them nks," "grunts," "doughboys," and "Johnny Reb." However, none of those nicknames has had the staying power of the nickname "GI." Derived from the words "government issue emerged in World War II and gave birth to its own masculine and feminine forrns, "Gl. Joe" and "GI ane." It was even attached to one of the most famous educational bills in American history, the GI Bill. At one point, the military tried to rid itself of the name GI. claiming that it dehumanized the people to whom it referred. Military manuals and pamphlets began substituting the supposedly more avorable term "service members." But the public would have none of it. Newspapers, radio, television and most importantly, World War Il veterans themselves clung to the nickname. Particularly for the veterans of World War ll, being a G.l. was a badge of honor, and they were not about to give up the name
Imprecise Main Idea: Throughout the last two centuries, America's soldiers have been given many different nicknames