What this country needs is catchall term for those in military uniform: Any ideas?

STLtoday.com ^ | 12-27-03 | Harry Levins

[FairWitness]

Each year, Time magazine picks the "Person of the Year" (formerly known, in less sensitive times, as the "Man of the Year"). This year, that person is "the American soldier," and the magazine's cover shows three of them, all from the Army's 1st Armored Division.

[Krodg]

I'd go with warrior myself.

I agree. Some of them think of themselves as 'students'..they need to be aware of what their job really is.

[Gritty]

Singular: Serviceman

Plural: Servicemen

Somehow, "Service Person" or "Servicemanorwoman" seems as jaded as it actually is.

We need to deal with political correctness, not try and change everything and sanitize the rest in order to fit within it's nasty, socialistic mold.

To those who object, I say "deal with it!".

[BlueNgold]

Heartbreakers and life-takers

[VOA]

They are sometimes called "servicemen and women"

I use those and "service member" as well.

[joesnuffy]

Infantry = Grunt

[taxcontrol]

I believe liberals would prefer the term "aggressors"

[Hank Kerchief]

AMP - American Military Personnel

[vladog]

They always called us 'Troop' when I was in basic. I still call all of the military no matter what branch, troops. Its non-gender specific, (For all the pc'ers out there and it rolls off the tongue.)

[MoralSense]

G.I. Right. Only took 49 posts before somebody remembered.

[VMI70]

BUMP!

[Terabitten]

I'm partial to "Trained killers in the service of the Constitution" myself. :D

[AF_Blue]

I like "GI" too. One great thing about it is that it can only refer to US military personnel.

Ditto.

[rdb3]

Just don't call me a leg.

[FairWitness]

Just don't call me a leg.

Whoosh!! (sound of a comment going right over my head)

[Delta 21]

Ive been GI since 1980 !

[Delta 21]

I like yours too.....

[Sir Charles]

***Real world as in...???***

You could call it "the way things ought to be" if you're into moral principles, or simply one in which common sense is no longer banished from the thoughts of the herd.

[Wolfstar]

Ummm...how 'bout calling them what they've always been called in the collective sense: the Armed Forces?! I know using tried-and-true phrases is a novel idea in our disposable culture, but sometimes simple and "old fashioned" just works best.

[mathluv]

Also, the way the picture was taken, showing the ID of the 1st, (who were among the last to get there), takes credit away from some who have fought and died. The picture was NOT supposed to have shown the ID of the soldier.

[Wolfstar]

The problem is, Armed Forces is an entity as a whole. Troops has traditionally referred to individual but multiple soldiers/sailors/airmen, and Troop -- at first a strange term, but you get used to it -- has traditionally referred to a single soldier/sailor/airman.

While I truly mean no disrespect to you, Laz, you couldn't be more wrong. In the noun form, a troop is collective term defined by Mirriam-Websters Dictionary as follows:

1 a : a group of soldiers b : a cavalry unit corresponding to an infantry company c plural : ARMED FORCES, SOLDIERS
2 : a collection of people or things : CREW 2
3 : a flock of mammals or birds
4 : the basic organizational unit of Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts under an adult leader

A trooper is the singular form, as in:

1 a (1) : an enlisted cavalryman (2) : the horse of a cavalryman b : PARATROOPER c : SOLDIER
2 a : a mounted police officer b : a state police officer

Just because so many in our dufus media use the term "troop" when they refer to an individual soldier, doesn't make the usage correct. Just means they are the products of our pathetic education system.