G.I.

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G.I. is an informal term which refers to members of the United States Armed Forces, in particular the United States Army. It is most deeply associated with World War II and the Korean War, but continues to see use, for instance in the G.I. Joe comics, films, and toys franchise. It was originally an initialism used in U.S. Army paperwork for items made of galvanized iron. The earliest known instance in writing is from either 1906 or 1907. During World War I, U.S. soldiers took to referring to heavy German artillery shells as "G.I. cans". During the same war, "G.I.", reinterpreted as "government issue" or "general issue", began being used to refer to any item associated with the U.S. Army, e.g., "G.I. soap". Other reinterpretations of "G.I." include "garrison issue" and "general infantry". The earliest known recorded instances of "G.I." being used to refer to an American enlisted man as a slang term are from 1935. In the form of "G.I. Joe" it was made better known due to it being taken as...

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