FORT KNOX, KY - JULY 01: A cadet wielding an M249 fires in the direction of their opposing forces near the objective while other cadets move forward in Training Area 9 during Army ROTC Cadet Summer Training on July 1, 2021 in Fort Knox, Kentucky. 3rd Regiment participated in a field training exercise (FTX) in which units scouted and moved into unknown territory to engage opposing forces and then secure the mission area. Cadet Summer Training 2020 was effectively canceled at Fort Knox due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
Depending on who you ask, the meaning of “G.I.” can vary. From government issue to general issue, no one can seem to agree on one single answer. Surely, one of the most well-known designations for American troops has to have a fairly certain beginning, right? Actually, it’s a lot more complicated than you may have first thought.
There have been many different names to represent US soldiers over the decades, like Leatherneck, Grunt, Johnny Reb, Yank, and Jarhead. Some apply to specific branches or services, while others have fallen from use entirely, but the one name that has been used to describe many soldiers in the US ranks for decades now is G.I.
The G.I.
United States Marines take part in an annual KOR-USA combine military drill near Yeongil Bay in Pohang, South Korea on August 12, 2021. (Photo by Seung-il Ryu/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
It is seen stamped on equipment, the name for a US law, and even the name for an entire line of toys called G.I. Joe.
The name has been popular among troops, who have often identified themselves as G.I.s. The term is sometimes used in a satirical manner to play on the idea that troops are just a tool in the eyes of the government.
In addition, the short length of the name makes it easy to fit it into documents or titles.
The name has been extended to represent others linked to the military too, like G.I. Jane, which was the nickname for members of the Women’s Army Corps (WAC), G.I. Jesus, for military chaplains, and G.I. bride, for a foreign woman married to a servicemember.
Throughout its existence though, many have used the term as an abbreviation for a few different things. Garrison issue, general issue, government issue, and general infantry are all interpretations of the name. General Douglas MacArthur went with the more common version of general issue when he scolded his surgeon for calling MacArthur’s men G.I.s; “Don’t ever do that in my presence… G.I. means ‘general issue.’ Call them soldiers.” MacArthur said.
So where did the name come from?
(Original Caption) French Coast Dead Ahead. Helmeted Yankee soldiers crouch, tightly packed, behind the bulwarks of a Coast Guard landing barge in the historic sweep across the English Channel to the shores of Normandy. (Bettmann / Getty Images)
Unfortunately, the exact origin is hard to pin down, but there is a prevailing theory.
G.I. actually originated in WWI, not WWII.
The story goes that during the Great War, G.I. was stamped on items made from galvanized iron, like buckets and trash cans. Jokingly, American soldiers began calling large incoming German shells and bombs “G.I. cans,” with the nickname branching out to more items over time, such as equipment and even the troops themselves. It is likely that troops made this link because of the notion that they were a mass-produced tool, but also because galvanized iron is strong and tough, like troops.
As the term eventually ended up being used for pretty much everything related to the US troops, it began being interpreted as meaning “general issue,” or “government issue.” Although the name and its meaning was certainly well known by the early 1920s, there isn’t any official mention of it until 1935, where it is described as slang.
G.I. was a well-established name by the time WWII came around, with cartoonist Dave Breger titling a comic strip “G.I. Joe” in 1942. In 1944 President Roosevelt signed the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 into law, which became known as the G.I. Bill. This provided benefit schemes for veterans returning home from WWII.
So, you now know that the original meaning behind G.I. was not general issue or even government issue, but, perhaps underwhelmingly, galvanized iron. However, any of the common interpretations are valid today, as after all, if Douglas MacArthur believed it to mean general issue, we’re not going to argue that he was wrong.
German Dreadnoughts of the Air', (1919). Scene from the First World War, 1914-1919: 'The "Zeppelins" were an important factor in the German principle of "frightfulness". Their evolution and development was marked by an long series of disasters which practically ruined the inventor, Count Zeppelin, and their further improvement as a practical war machine was largely due to private enterprise and capital subscribed by private means.' From "The History of the Great European War: its causes and effects", Vol. III, by W. Stanley Macbean Knight. [Caxton Pulishing Company, Limited, London, 1919]. Artist Unknown. (Photo by The Print Collector/The Print Collector/Getty Images)
A rain of German bombs falling onto London may sound like a scene from the Blitz, but the city was also attacked by Germany during WWI, not by sleek metal-skinned aircraft, but by Zeppelins. Described by Winston Churchill as “enormous bladders of combustible gas,” these ominous lighter-than-air crafts caused 500 deaths in Britain. They also caused chaos on their own people, by denying them of their beloved sausages.
Although there was little evidence that airships were suited to military environments (they weren’t, by the way), there was a great demand for them among the German top brass. The ships could carry far more bombs over a further distance than aircraft, all while mounting defensive machine guns and they were actually quite hard to bring down.
However, unsurprisingly, the airships were still vulnerable to a prepared enemy and proved to be unwieldy, struggling to effectively navigate precisely over targets and lacking accurate bombing techniques.
Even when moored up the airships were thrown around by strong winds, and a few were lost because of poor weather conditions.
The airships had a powerful psychological effect but proved to be a rather lackluster weapon of war, and their use was eventually abandoned.
Beefy machines
‘Command area onboard a Zeppelin’, German air fleet, First World War, 1917. (Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)
These gigantic machines could measure up to 240 meters in length and required immense resources to construct. One of the most important was cow guts. The cow guts were used to make the bags that contained the airship’s gas. The gas is what makes the airships lighter than air.
Because the airships were huge, the number of resources they used was huge too, with each German Zeppelin using around 250,000 cows.
The same material used for the gasbags is also used to make sausages, albeit in a much more precise process. The German authorities were forced to choose between sausages or their airships. As we now know, airships won this logistical tug of war, with the resources once used to make sausages instead being diverted to Zeppelin construction.
An airship could use up to 30 million potential sausages.
During this drive for airship construction, the production of sausages was outlawed in Germany and other occupied territories.
Goldbeater’s skin
German Zeppelin L49 brought down and captured intact by the French, 20 October 1917. (Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)
The intestinal skin, also known as goldbeater’s skin, is incredibly resistant to tearing yet very thin and light. It has been used for many different things over the centuries but got its name from its use in the production of gold leaf. The skin is placed between layers of gold during gold beating, a process that can thin out many layers of gold separately.
A 1922 report on balloon fabrics for the US National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics highlights how valuable these guts were.
“The collection of the goldbeater’s skins was very systematic in Germany during the war,” the document reads. “Each butcher was required to deliver the ones from the animals he killed. Agents exercised strict control in Austria, Poland and northern France, where it was forbidden to make sausages.”
The intestines normally used to make sausages were wetted, separated, and had the outer membrane peeled away. It was then washed in an alkaline solution and stretched dry. The resulting material is goldbeater’s skin; exceptionally thing, yet strong.
The Germans experimented with other materials to build the gas bags, like rubber, but they were unable to find a way of sealing the bags enough to stop hydrogen, the lightest element in the universe, from escaping.
However, they realized that if layers of goldbeater’s skin were laid on top of each other when wet, they fuse together as they dry. This creates a material that, according to the 1922 report, “for a weight of 130 to 150 g per sq. m, a tightness permitting the loss of only a few liters of hydrogen per sq. m in 24 hours, under a pressure of 30 mm of water.”
As a result, Germany went without sausages in the name of strategic bombing.
(Original Caption) Billy Mitchell and General Pershing. Undated photograph, ca 1910s.
From spiked German helmets to steampunk-looking body armor, WWI certainly saw its fair share of strange uniform choices. WWI is a fascinating war as it was a meeting point of new and old, with horses charging into machine-gun fire, and pilots in cutting-edge aircraft throwing objects at each other. Similarly, the way soldiers were dressed was more appropriate for this new era of unromantic devastation, but still incorporated principles from the past.
The First World War popularized the trench coat
(Original Caption) The arrival of the 369th Black infantry regiment in New York after World War I. Undated photograph.
The trench coat was a useful and practical piece of clothing optionally worn by officers during the Great War. It was adapted from the greatcoat, which was found to be too heavy and impractical in the wet conditions of the trenches.
The coats were constructed from a lighter yet water-repellent material to keep officers dry and featured large pockets to store maps and documents. In addition, adjustable wrist straps kept water from running down one’s forearms while using binoculars.
The supply of the more practical trench coat was made possible by civilian tailoring firms.
More than 1 million civilian suits were given to soldiers returning home
When the war ended, the British Army gave almost 1.5 million suits to soldiers returning home. This was because, by law, a soldier was not permitted to wear their uniform for any more than 28 days after they were discharged.
Soldiers returning home were given a plainclothes form, which they used at dispersal centers to receive either a suit or a clothing allowance. In addition, the soldiers were given a pay advance, a ration book good for a fortnight, and a train ticket home.
Turbans were a common sight on the western front
1914: ‘Welcome Invaders of France’. Sikh soldiers on the march in France at the start of World War I. Original Publication: The Graphic – pub. 1914 (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
During WWI, Britain’s colonies, namely India, made huge contributions to the war, but this is often overlooked. At the end of 1914, a third of the British Army fighting on the western front was from India with the Indian Expeditionary Force. Sikh soldiers wearing turbans were a common sight during the war, but while this was a proud tradition, it often signaled their “lesser” colonial status among the troops.
Khaki was first used in India
The making of khaki – Wool blending’, 1915. From The Manchester Guardian History of the War, Vol. II. – 1914-15. [John Heywood Ltd, London, 1915] Artist Unknown. (Photo by Print Collector/Getty Images)
WWI saw a large emphasis on remaining hidden from the enemy, rather than going toe-to-toe with them in brightly colored uniforms. Camouflage and smokeless guns were all used to help troops stay out of sight. But khaki camouflage actually originated in India, when Harry Lumsden took his Corps of Guides down to a riverbank in the late 1840s with a supply of white cloth purchased at the market in Lahore.
The cloth was soaked in mud, which enabled the troops to blend in with the dusty environment.
Britain sourced khaki dyes from Germany
Ironically, the dye used in khaki uniforms was imported from Germany in secret during WWI. Prior to the war, Germany was a leading manufacturer of synthetic dyes, and by 1913 was exporting over 20 times more dye than Britain.
The military had to contract civilian firms to make uniforms
Logistically, Britain was not prepared for a war on the scale of the Great War. In the first few months of the war, the War Office only had enough uniforms to cloth existing servicemen and frontline members of the Territorial Force. The rapid recruitment of a rapidly increasing number of soldiers quickly overloaded the military’s own factories.
This was solved by contracting civilian tailoring firms to produce uniforms on an enormous scale; an arrangement that benefited both the military and suppliers.
An allowance was given to officers who could not afford a uniform
(Original Caption) France: News From Folks Back Home. Y. W. C. A. workers behind the battle lines in France distributing the long waited for letters from the old folks in the States to our boys in khaki. (Photo Credit: Bettmann / Getty Images)
At the start of the war, officers were usually recruited from the upper class and were easily able to pay the expenses of a new uniform. However as the war dragged on, the losses of these upper-class servicemen forced the military to recruit from progressively wider social classes.
Because of this, many were unable to pay for their uniforms, so the British Army subsidized the costs for these officers to maintain sufficient recruitment. Unsurprisingly, a gap developed between the officers of different social classes.
Official knitting patterns were introduced to regulate garments sent overseas
A WWI unit of soldiers pay respects at a cemetery in the 1920s on Veteran’s Day. (Photo by Kirn Vintage Stock/Corbis via Getty Images)
The War Office’s own supply of uniforms was supplemented by civilians, who knitted items of clothing and creature comforts for the men on the frontlines. However, the well-meaning practice quickly started running out of control, with increasingly garish items arriving to the troops.
The government was understandably worried about this, so they introduced official guidelines to be followed by knitters. The variety of garments was reduced by official knitting patterns and the request to only use khaki colors.
‘Kitchener blue’ supplemented khaki
The supply issues caused by Germany’s dominance in the production of khaki dyes forced Britain to turn to some less than ideal options. The War Office began supplying troops with anything they could. 500,000 blue Post Office uniforms and 500,000 greatcoats were used to alleviate the shortage of proper uniforms. In addition, the War Office also ordered a huge amount of clothes from the US.
A few poor souls were dressed in scarlet and blue parade uniforms – not exactly inconspicuous. These filler uniforms were collectively called Kitchener blue.
Conscientious objectors were forced to wear uniforms against their will
After being conscripted into military service, conscientious objectors often refused to don a uniform. As they were regarded as enlisted men they could be punished by law and were commonly subject to violence and humiliation. While conscientious objectors used many different means to stand against the military, some refused to undress for medical examinations while others refused to wear a uniform.
In these cases, it was not uncommon for the conscientious objectors to be pinned down and forcibly checked over or dressed.
Eddie Rickenbacker is an American who seemingly lived ten lifetimes in one. He was a successful mechanic, automotive designer, race car driver, businessman, government consultant, fighter ace, and a pioneer in a number of fields. He survived many near-death experiences and racked up a huge list of achievements, each one worthy of their own book. He accomplished so much that it is perplexing how one individual could possibly fit it all in.
Rickenbacher
Capt. E.V. “Eddie” Rickenbacker wearing the Medal of Honor. (U.S. Air Force photo / Wikipedia / Public Domain)
On October 8 1890 an immigrant couple welcomed a child into the world in Columbus, Ohio. The father of this child, Wilhelm, hoped to one day run his own successful business, but would, unfortunately, stay on a relatively low income. Lizzie, the child’s mother, cleaned laundry to increase the family’s income.
This child was Edward Rickenbacker.
Young Rickenbacker had a propensity to becoming injured or getting into life-threatening situations. He fell into an open cistern, was run over by a quarry cart, and jumped off the roof of a friend’s barn in an attempt to fly. On one occasion he nearly died when he ran back into his burning school to grab his jacket.
At the age of thirteen Rickenbacker’s dad was accidentally killed during a disagreement with a man in the street. After this, he dropped out of school and began working various jobs to support his now fatherless family.
He had a fascination with machines and ended up working for the Oscar Lear Automobile Company, where he quickly proved to have a natural mechanical talent. Before long he was working under the chief engineer, who took him to the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup race when he was just 16.
Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker, United States Army Air Service, c.1919 (Photo Credit: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration / Wikipedia / Public Domain)
Rickenbacker moved to the Columbus Buggy Company where he traveled the country as the company’s chief test engineer. At 19 years old he was responsible for all Firestone-Columbus operations in a number of states.
In a promotional stunt, Rickenbacker raced at an event in Iowa but didn’t finish after crashing. However, racing rapidly became a new passion so he took the practice more seriously and managed to score a place at the first-ever Indy 500. His team finished in 11th place.
Over the next few years, Rickenbacker’s racing career propelled him to celebrity status – a level most people would be happy to reach even once in their life. But for Rickenbacker, this was just the start.
Wartime
The year 1917 was the year when he officially adopted the name Rickenbacker; he was born Rickebacher but changed it during WWI to avoid the stigma attached to German-sounding names. Also during that year, Rickenbacker became the chauffeur for General John Pershing in France, who lead the American Expeditionary Force.
While in France Rickenbacker was involved in military procedures and soon became familiar with the US Air Service. Rickenbacker had already voiced his desire for him and his fellow racers to fly for their country, so this was an ideal opportunity.
Over time he learned to work on aircraft and the basics of flying, eventually taking an aircraft up into the air himself.
Eddie Rickenbacker in his SPAD S.XIII (Photo Credit: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration / Wikipedia / Public Domain)
In 1918 Rickenbacker finally got his chance to fight; he was sent to gunnery school and subsequently assigned to the 94th Aero Squadron. As with racing he immediately became proficient at controlling an aircraft, downing five within two weeks of his first combat mission. Rickenbacker was now an ace.
To prove his dedication, he took an aircraft up on his own and attacked a group of seven enemy aircraft, bringing down two of them and earning the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC). After the war, this was upgraded to the United States’ highest award, the Medal of Honor.
Rickenbacker finished the war having commanded his own squadron, earned the nation’s highest award, eight DSCs, and downed 26 aircraft and five balloons. In addition, he was awarded the French Legion of Honor and Croix de Guerre. He accomplished all this and more and was still in his 20s.
Back home his fame had reached dazzling new heights and was received as a war hero.
Between the two world wars Rickenbacker designed a car, got married, purchased the Indianapolis Speedway, survived a crash, served as the CEO of Eastern Airlines, and normalized four-wheel braking, a feature that has been standard on vehicles for decades now.
Rickenbacker driving in the 1915 American Grand Prize at San Francisco. (San Francisco Public Library / Wikipedia / Public Domain)
His service was once again needed during WWII, this time using his wealth of experience of war. During a flight across the Pacific in an old Boeing B-17, the aircraft drifted off course and ran out of fuel. Rickenbacker and the surviving crew lived in a lifeboat for the next 24 days, being exposed to baking heat and having no source of water or food. To eat, they caught fish from the ocean.
Rickenbacker suffered a stroke in 1973 while abroad for his wife’s medical treatment. On July 23, 1973, the mechanic, engineer, war hero, fighter ace, CEO, race car driver, and husband died.
His wife, Adelaide Rickenbacker, committed suicide in 1977 at the age of 92 after becoming completely blind and desperately grieving her husband.
To keep their plans a secret from the enemy during the fighting in WWII, the US famously employed Native American code talkers who communicated in their native languages. However, WWII was not the first time Native Americans were employed in this critical role. Their combat debut was actually WWI.
Keeping your communications a secret from the enemy is one of the most important tasks during a conflict. If an enemy can listen in to your communications, they can plan ahead and counter any moves you intend to make.
The development of modern computers received a huge boost during WWII when they were used to decrypt enemy-coded messages. In fact, the world’s first programmable, electronic, digital computer was created for this purpose.
WWI code talkers
Choctaws in training in World War I for coded radio and telephone transmissions. (Photo Courtesy of Oklahoma Historical Society / Wikipedia / Public Domain)
Code talkers were used as a tactical means of communicating secret information during battle. They used their knowledge of Native American languages to send coded messages that were unable to be broken by the enemy.
Many peoples have worked as code talkers throughout the two world wars, such as the Meskwaki, Assiniboine, and Mohawk, but the Choctaw and Cherokee really pioneered the practice during WWI.
Choctaw
Photograph of Choctaw Joseph Oklahombi, a World War I Code Talker, early twentieth century. (Photo by Oklahoma Historical Society/Getty Images)
The government of the Choctaw Nation asserts that the Choctaw were the first Native American code talkers to serve in the US military.
This took place in the 1918 Meuse-Argonne campaign in France. During this battle, the Germans had cracked Allied codes and tapped into their communication lines. Speaking great English, they continuously listened to radio messages. Even sending messages by hand was difficult, as the Germans were capturing on average one in every four runners.
One American officer, Colonel Alfred Wainwright Bloor, devised a clever way to overcome their communicational predicament after overhearing two Choctaw soldiers in his regiment having a conversation in their native language.
He realized he had absolutely no idea what they were saying, and that if he, a born and bred American, couldn’t understand them, then even the best English-speaking German had no chance.
Bloor and a few Choctaw soldiers sent a test code using their native language. The first coded message sent in combat came on October 26, when Bloor ordered the movement of troops from Chufilly to Chardeny. The troops relocated effortlessly, proving the Germans had no idea that such an order had been given.
This was backed up by captured German officers, one of which said they were “completely confused by the Indian language and gained no benefit whatsoever” from listening to the messages.
The trick had worked and the Germans were baffled. Their languages were spoken by very few people, and what was spoken was rarely written down; the Germans simply had no way of deciphering the messages.
Not all military words had a direct counterpart in the Choctaw language, so the code talkers improvised and added new words where necessary. For example “little gun shoot fast” meant machine gun, while corn represented battalions. This on-the-go improvisation made the job of deciphering their messages even harder.
The code talkers helped change the course of the battle, one which the Allies eventually won. Their work in the Great War paved the way for the more well-known Navajo code talkers during WWII.
They fought for a country that didn’t care for them
American Indian code talkers communicating in their language had been critical to Allied victories in Europe, but back home their children were punished for speaking this exact same language in class.
“You had this crazy situation where the Choctaw language was being used as a formidable weapon of war, yet back home children were being beaten at school for using it,” Judy Allen said, the senior executive officer of tribal relations with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
“The two soldiers who were overheard by the officer probably thought they were in trouble rather than about to provide the answer to the army’s communication problems.”
Less than a generation before 2,500 Choctaw people died after the entire tribe was forced off their ancestral land. But when the US needed them, they answered the call.
American Indian’s fought for a country that didn’t even consider them as citizens. They wouldn’t be granted US citizenship until 1924.
“The Choctaw soldiers were incredibly gracious and willing to share their language. They didn’t have to but they did. They had something unique and were incredibly proud of that.” said Dr. William Meadows of Missouri State University.
American Indians’ courageous and underappreciated work throughout WWI and the wars that followed are examples of pure dedication to their home and their people, and should never be forgotten or overlooked by the United States.
In 1941 beloved superhero Captain America appeared in a Marvel comic book for the first time. Shown punching the Führer on his debut comic cover, Captain America started out as the humble Steve Rogers, a scrawny man who is too weak to fight in WWII. However, after he is amped up by a special serum, he becomes the perfect soldier. Rogers was then given the rank of Captain and assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division.
While Captain America is a fictional character, his unit was not, and it’s still active today.
The 26th Infantry Regiment
The 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry passing through the railway viaduct north of Bütgenbach, Belgium, on the Monschauer St. (N647) towards Bütgenbach. The railway viaduct was part of the line running from Losheim/Eifel (Germany) to Trois-Ponts, Belgium, and had been blown up by the retreating German troops. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army / Wikipedia / Public Domain)
The 26th Infantry Regiment was created in the early years of the 20th century to bolster the overextended US Army conducting operations in the Philippines, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. The 26th began its service in the Philippines and soon earned its first battle streamer. It would spend most of its existence before WWI in the Southwest Pacific, the Indian frontier, and the Mexican frontier.
When WWI came around the 26th Infantry Regiment was one of the only US Army units ready to be immediately sent overseas. They departed for France as the first American Expeditionary Division in June 1917. Later, the division would be renamed the First Division, which would famously become known as the Big Red One.
The Blue Spaders
The 26th Infantry Regiment’s unit insignia features a blue Indian arrowhead, which resembles a spade. As a result, the regiment earned the nickname “Blue Spaders.”
WWI
When the regiment reached France they were quickly sent to the frontlines, where they fought in vicious combat and received heavy losses. Over 900 Blue Spaders were lost in just six months.
At the Battle of Soissons the 26th started with 3,100 men but were left with just 1,500 at the battle’s conclusion. The regiment also lost its regimental commander, executive officer, regimental command sergeant major, and two of its three battalion commanders in the battle.
But the Blue Spaders fought heroically and were awarded more battle streamers than any other US regiment that participated in the war. When the war ended the 26th spent a short amount of time in Germany as an occupying force.
WWII
The 26th Infantry Regiment was once again readied for war after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941. The Blue Spaders was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division and were extremely busy throughout the Second World War, participating in some of the conflict’s most famous battles.
To begin with, they fought in North Africa, leading the US’ first-ever amphibious assault. Following this, they fought at Kasserine Pass. In the summer of 1943, they invaded Sicily, and a year later landed on Omaha Beach during the D-Day invasion.
They captured the first German city at Aachen, fought through the Battle of the Bulge, and crossed the Rhine.
The Blue Spaders ended the war with seven battle streamers, five foreign awards, and a Presidential Unit Citation. They then spent more time in Germany as an occupying force for the second time. Germany would become like a second home for the regiment.
Vietnam
During the Vietnam War, the 26th Infantry Regiment was once again assigned to the 1st Infantry Division and deployed to Vietnam. They arrived in the country in 1965 as part of America’s first division-sized unit to reach Vietnam.
The Blue Spaders fought hard, earning eleven battle streamers, two foreign awards, and a Valorous Unit Award before being pulled out of the country in 1970. In total, they spent five years in the region.
The 26th were sent back to Germany after Vietnam.
Blue Spaders in the Balkans and modern-day
Soldiers from C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, conduct a Cordon and Search operation in Al Adhamiya, Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 21, 2007. (Sergeant Jeffrey Alexander / U.S. Army / Dvidshub / Public Domain)
In 1996, nearly a century after the regiment was formed, the Blue Spaders were deployed to the Balkans and served in Bosnia, the Republic of Macedonia, and Kosovo, adding more awards to their impressive record.
In the early 2000s, the 26th were sent to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and then to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom.
It is no surprise that such a well-decorated and highly experienced unit was chosen to be to Captain America’s comrades. However, while in Marvel’s fictional universe the 26th was aided by a superhuman, the superhuman-like achievements of the real-life 26th were accomplished by ordinary men doing an extraordinary job.
Machine gun nest, Poelcappelle, Belgium, World War I, 1914-1918. Poelcappelle was the site of a battle during the larger Battle of Passchendaele (Third Battle of Ypres) in 1917. Stereoscopic card detail. (Colorised black and white print). Artist Realistic Travels Publishers. (Photo by The Print Collector/Getty Images)
When discussing battles throughout the history of warfare, the participants and the equipment and tactics they used are usually the focus. However, the actual physical conditions of the battlefield itself can be equally decisive for the outcome of a battle, sometimes even more so than the actions of the people involved. Rain, snow, mountains, an unexpected river or hillside can totally change how a battle is fought.
Commanders are usually aware of this, but the time and place a battle takes place are not always ideal for each respective participant. Here are five of the worst battlefields in history.
Conditions throughout the Korean War were infamously difficult. Many battles were fought at high altitudes and in the freezing cold, but the battle of Chosin Reservoir in late 1950 was particularly brutal. US Marines were attacked by an enormous force of Chinese troops that outnumbered them by at times ten-1o-one. The attack was a surprise and lead to the Marines’ encirclement.
As if this wasn’t bad enough, both sides were exposed to the extremely harsh Siberian winter, with temperatures reaching as low as -36 degrees Fahrenheit. The ground was frozen solid so foxholes were virtually impossible to dig, weapons jammed and men experienced frostbite. The Marines eventually broke out of the encirclement, but “frozen Chosin” remains an example of harsh battlefield conditions.
The Rzhev Meat Grinder
Panzer III carrying infantry in March, 1942 (Photo Credit: Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-269-0240-11A / Böhmer / CC-BY-SA 3.0)
The Soviet Union’s contributions to Germany’s defeat are often overlooked in the west, but they endured years of terribly harsh conditions on the Eastern Front, claiming more of the enemy and losing more people than anyone else in the war. The Eastern Front is arguably the greatest showdown between two opponents in military history.
The “Rzhev Meat Grinder” was an enormous series of battles that saw 3.6 million Soviet troops battle against over 1.5 million Germans. The vicious combat claimed vast amounts of life and the battlefields were quite literally littered with corpses. There were so many bodies that they were sometimes laying on top of each other up to three layers deep. Heavy rains caused many of the corpses to float around.
Some people believe that more than one million Soviets died in the Rzhev Meat Grinder.
Passchendaele
Canadian 16th Machine Gun Company (Photo by: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty images)
Passchendaele was the location of fierce combat during the First World War. The battle took place on reclaimed marshland, which was soon churned up by the continuous barrage of artillery fire. Shell craters quickly filled up with water as the location degraded into a water-logged swamp, making conditions in the soaking wet Passchendaele trenches unimaginably horrible.
Eventually, there was not a single piece of solid ground. The mud was sticky and so deep that men and even horses drowned. When one fell in, it was often impossible to get them out without risking the lives of others. Sometimes troops would simply shoot men stuck in the mud to save them from an even worse death. The conditions at Passchendaele were arguably the worst of the entire war and were a living hell for the men who fought there.
One of the most critical battles leading up to the Vietnam War, some describe the battle of Dien Bien Phu as a slaughter. A French position at the bottom of the valley was meant to be resupplied by the air, under the assumption the Viet Minh had no appreciable anti-aircraft capabilities. Thick jungle canopy, wild vegetation, and downpours of rain in the area took their toll on the French troops.
The Viet Minh surrounded the position and hammered it with heavy artillery fire. They brought anti-aircraft weapons too, which severely limited French support by air and hampered their ability to fight back. The French fortress filled with water and the corpses of their troops. Eventually, the position was overrun completely and has become an example of a crippling military and political failure.
Bougainville
(Original Caption) Bougainville- Fresh Army troops come ashore to reinforce the Marines who are wrestling this island from the Japs. Long files of infantry move up rough mud and streams to the front. The conquest of Bougainville will give us a vital base. Undated photo circa 1940s. (Photo Credit: Bettmann / Getty Images)
The Bougainville campaign took place during WWII while the Allies attempted to gain control of the Solomon Islands from the Japanese. Allied forces had to battle an extremely determined enemy lasted in an action that lasted from 1943 until the end of the war.
When they reached Bougainville they were greeted with brutal humidity, knee-deep mud, and thick jungle. The canopy was so dense that aircover was rendered useless, so the men had to fight through the conditions on foot. Things got even worse when the rainy seasons came, and the region remained a horrible place to operate in until the war ended.
We have all seen photos of the devastating damage left in the wake of the First World War. Cities that were reduced to rubble, large sections of land across Europe completely destroyed, and the catastrophic effects of trench warfare. Although we have seen the images from the ground, we rarely see the full extent of the destruction. Here, we look at aerial film footage taken in 1919 that gives us an extraordinary view of the massive scale of the devastation across the western front.
Jacques Trolley de Prévaux
Jacques Trolley de Prévaux. (Boulangerbenoit/ Wikimedia Commons/ Public Domain via CC-BY-SA-4.0)
The aerial film footage was taken by French balloon pilot Jacques Trolley de Prévaux. He was born on April 2, 1888, in Paris, France. After he finished school, he decided to become a sailor. In 1906, he entered the French naval academy, where he came in third place in the competitive entrance examination.
In 1911, Trolley de Prévaux was received into the French Navy, and in 1917 he was promoted to lieutenant. That same year, Trolley de Prévaux was granted a transfer to the French Naval Aviation, and was assigned to command the Marquise-Rinxent Directed Center. Prior to this, he worked on the torpedo boat Chasseur and gunboat Diligente.
Jacques Trolley de Prévaux clocked many flight hours as airships emerged as a powerful weapon in the First World War. For his actions in the War, he was awarded the Legion of Honour and War Cross.
During the Second World War, Trolley de Prévaux and his wife, Lotka Leitner, joined the French Resistance. Sadly, on August 4, 1944, the Gestapo shot him and his wife in Lyon as the Allies were liberating Paris.
World War I damages from above
In 1919, Jacques Trolley de Prévaux flew over the battlegrounds of the First World War to document the damages. He traveled from the Belgian coastline to the French city of Verdun. He captured the ruins of Ypres, the flooded craters of Passchendaele, and the miles and miles of trenches visible from the air.
It was important for France to document their war damages, as a considerable portion of the fighting on the Western Front took place in their country. Of the eight million Frenchman mobilized during the First World War, 1.3 million had been killed and 1 million badly injured.
Similarly, large parts of northeastern France, the nation’s premier industrial and agricultural area, were completely destroyed. Some regions and cities in France were so severely damaged that it was not even worth attempting to rebuild.
Jacques Trolley de Prévaux’s film captured this devastation in France. The full film is about 78 minutes long and was first shown in France during the 1920s. The movie was then given to the Musée Albert-Kahn in Boulogne-Billancourt, where it would remain for nearly 90 years, until 2008 when it was transferred into digital form.
In 2010, the BBC included Trolley de Prévaux’s film footage in their documentary, The First World War From Above. The short documentary is worth a watch, especially as it features Jacques Trolley de Prévaux daughter, Aude Yung-de Prévaux, who was only a baby when the Gestapo killed her father.
Being a member of the US Army is one of the most valiant careers a person can choose. However, the job hasn’t always paid as such. For over a century, the majority of soldiers earned far less than the average civilian. Even today, troops’ salaries in no way match the job they’re doing and the sacrifice they’re making.
Here’s a look at how well (or not) America’s defenders were paid, from the Revolutionary War to present day.
Revolutionary War
The Revolutionary War saw the US fighting for independence from the British. Over the course of the conflict, the Continental Army consisted of around 150,000 men, with 17,000 serving at any one time.
Battle of Bunker Hill, as illustrated by John Trumbull. (Photo Credit: Hulton Archive / Getty Images)
Soldiers’ pay varied depending on their rank. Upon enlisting, each was promised a one-time bounty of either land or money, along with their monthly salary. Privates received $6.00, while generals earned $8.00. Captains received $20.00 and colonels were paid $50.00 each month. These salaries struggled to keep up with inflation, and the Continental Congress was slow to revisit the Army’s pay structure.
Discussions led to a pay increase for some, with colonels being bumped to $75.00 a month and captains, $40.00. Privates didn’t receive a raise, which hurt their pocketbooks, as they had to pay for their own uniforms, weapons and gear.
War of 1812
Those wishing to serve in the Army during the War of 1812 initially needed to sign a five-year contract, with recruits later given the option to join for the duration of the conflict. Upon enlisting, soldiers were given a one-time bounty of $31.00 and 160 acres of land, a total later increased by Congress to $124.00 and 320 acres. This was notable, as the financial compensation itself was more than what the average unskilled laborer earned a year.
Battle of New Orleans. (Photo Credit: Universal History Archive / Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
At the start, privates were paid a monthly salary of $5.00, while noncommissioned officers earned between $7.00 and $9.00. The pay for officers varied widely, between $20.00 to $200.00. When it became clear more recruits were needed, Congress raised the pay of privates and NCOs by $4.00.
During the first year of the war, Congress was slow to pay troops their salaries, culminating in an absolute refusal to march and mutinies in October 1812. As the conflict progressed, the problem only became more unmanageable, and by the fall of 1814, soldiers’ pay was between six and 12 months in arrears.
Mexican-American War
Designated the Regular Army during the Mexican-American War, the US forces consisted of specialized infantry, artillery, cavalry and the engineering corps. It was made up of only 7,365 at the outbreak of the conflict, with its core consisting of eight infantry regiments.
Those wishing to serve enlisted for five years, with troops earning a salary of around $7.00 a month. The low wage meant those with few job opportunities and a poor educated joined, as did foreign nationals. By 1845, 42 percent of those serving were from foreign nations – 50 percent were Irish, while the rest originated from other European countries.
Battle of Buena Vista, also known as the Battle of Angostura. (Photo Credit: Photo12 / Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
In desperate times, the government could call on volunteers to enlist in state-raised regiments, as allowed under the Militia Act of 1792, and these regiments were compelled to serve wherever the War Department chose. However, state militias could not be made to serve beyond their home state’s boundaries.
American Civil War
Troops’ salaries between the Confederate and Union armies during the American Civil War differed:
Privates – $11.00 (Confederacy) vs. $13.00 (Union)
Corporals – Both received $13.00
Sergeants– Both received $17.00
First Sergeants – Both received $20.00
Quartermaster Sergeants and Sergeant Majors – Both earned $21.00
Second Lieutenant – $80.00 (Confederacy) vs. $105.50 (Union)
First Lieutenant – $90.00 (Confederacy) vs. $105.50 (Union)
Captain – $130.00 (Confederacy) vs. $115.50 (Union)
Major – $150.00 (Confederacy) vs. $169.00 (Union)
Lieutenant Colonel – $170.00 (Confederacy) vs. $181.00 (Union)
Colonel – $195.00 (Confederacy) vs. $212.00 (Union)
Brigadier General – $301.00 (Confederacy) vs. $315.00 (Union)
Major General – $301.00 (Confederacy) vs. $457.00 (Union)
Lieutenant General – $301.00 (Confederacy) vs. $748.00 (Union)
General – $301.00 (Confederacy)
Officer pay for both sides included allowances, which the salaries of Confederate generals didn’t reflect. As well, all Confederate generals received the same base pay, as regulations recognized just one grade above the rank of colonel. However, generals holding different commands were afforded additional allowances, and those commanding in the field received an additional $100.00.
The Union Army’s 96th Pennsylvanian Regiment. (Photo Credit: MPI / Getty Images)
US Colored Troops were paid a meager salary of $10.00 a month for the majority of the war, of which $3.00 was deducted for clothing allowances. While soldiers on both sides were meant to be paid every two months, this rarely happened, due to the great distances the military paymaster had to travel.
Spanish-American War
The Spanish-American War saw the end of Spanish colonial rule in America and allowed the US to acquire territories in Latin America and the western Pacific. During the conflict, Army privates were paid a monthly salary of $13.00, the same as during the Civil War. However, unlike in previous years, its value was higher, due to deflation.
American soldiers walking along the coast of Manila. (Photo Credit: Hulton Archive / Getty Images)
According to a newspaper article published in the Rome-News Tribune on February 17, 1980, one private’s pay was eventually increased to a “whopping” $30.00 a month, a massive increase for those used to being paid just a third of that amount.
World War I
World War I was a brutal conflict, featuring trench warfare, bloody battles and the introduction of poison gas. Troops serving in Europe received varied salaries based on the number of years they’d been enlisted. For example, a private in their first year of service earned $30.00 a month, while corporals received a salary of $36.00.
A full list of pay for each section of the Army, as well as the salary increases for each year of service, can be found here.
American soldiers in Alsace. (Photo Credit: Hulton Archive / Getty Images)
On top of their monthly salaries, troops were also provided life insurance through the War Risk Insurance Program. This was due to commercial insurance companies either charging higher premiums for soldiers or excluding protection against the hazards of war.
World War II
Prior to World War II, serving in the military wasn’t everyone’s first choice in career. In 1939, the Army featured a roster of 189,839 servicemen. That changed following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and by 1945 there were 8,267,958 enlisted.
Salaries vary depending on the source. According to Moneywise, privates were paid $21.00 prior to the US entering the war, a total that increased to $50 in September 1942. The National WWII Museum, on the other hand, lists the average base pay for enlisted servicemen at $71.33, with officers earning a salary of $203.50.
WWII also saw the introduction of Badge Pay for combat infantry members, due to the hazardous conditions they fought in. The initiative awarded $10.00 a month to holders of the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, earned through combat service, while those with the Expert Infantryman’s Badge, earned through proficiency training, were given $5.00.
Korean War
The Korean War began with 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People’s Army crossing the 38th parallel, which split it from the Republic of Korea. Three years of intense fighting followed.
US soldiers digging into a hill. (Photo Credit: MPI / Hulton Archive / Getty Images)
As with previous wars, the monthly salary troops received depended on their rank and the length of time served. For example, in 1952, an E-1 with less than four months of service was paid $78.00, while an E-7 earned a monthly salary of $206.39. There were other variables that affected this total, including Aviation Pay, Submarine Duty Pay, and Sea and Foreign Duty Pay.
In 1952, Combat Pay for deployed servicemen became the first modern form of direct combat compensation, awarding $45.00 a month to those who’d served at least six days in designated “combat units,” as well as those who’d been wounded, killed or injured by enemy fire.
Vietnam War
E-1 wages remained the same between 1952 and ’58, meaning troops among the Army’s lower ranks made the same salary in both the Korean and Vietnam wars. However, when inflation was factored in, those serving in Vietnam were actually earning less.
As the conflict progressed, new troops were given a salary of $78.00, while those who’d served over four months earned $83.20.
Men of the US 173rd Airborne Brigade. (Photo Credit: Hulton Archive / Getty Images)
In 1963, Combat Pay was renamed Hostile Fire Pay (HFP) and remained relatively the same. The only difference was that the Department of Defense was granted near-complete discretion over how it was administered, leading to multiple changes. This included the rescinding of the six-day criterion and the introduction of “zonal eligibility.”
Gulf War
In August 1990, Suddam Hussein ordered his forces to invade Kuwait. Other Middle Eastern countries called for the US and the United Nations to intervene, and the UN’s Security Council set a deadline for him to withdraw forces by the middle of January 1991. When he failed to do this, the US launched Operation Desert Storm.
US soldiers saying an oath to the US Army. (Photo Credit: Eric BOUVET / Gamma-Rapho / Getty Images)
According to Business Insider, those serving in Iraq with over four months of experience were making $753.90 a month, while those with less than that earned around $697.20. They were also eligible for Hostile Fire Pay/Imminent Danger Pay.
Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
The US began the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2001 and 2003, respectively. With the War in Iraq, deployed troops were making just a few hundred dollars more than those who’d served in the Gulf War. Veterans earned a monthly salary of $1,150.80 and those with less than four months under their belt took home just $1,064.70.
Operation Mountain Thrust. (Photo Credit: John Moore / Getty Images)
America officially withdrew its troops from Afghanistan in August 2021, which drew criticism from military officials, politicians and society as a whole, due to the Taliban taking control of Kabul, the country’s capital.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is located in Arlington National Cemetery, in Virginia, United States and is one of the most symbolic and hollowed sites in the country. The tomb represents and is dedicated to the U.S. service members lost but never identified in the nation’s wars.
The tomb was originally constructed just after WWI to bury a single unknown American soldier killed during the Great War. The idea was “to bring home the body of an unknown American warrior who in himself represents no section, creed, or race in the late war and who typifies, moreover, the soul of America and the supreme sacrifice of her heroic dead.”
Although it’s an iconic place in America, there are many traditions and stories relating to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, some of which you may not know.
The Unknown Soldier received the Medal of Honor and Victoria Cross
The Unknown Soldier was buried in a state funeral on November 11, 1921. The ceremony was attended by President Warren G. Harding and other foreign dignitaries. Harding placed the United States’ highest award – the Medal of Honor – on top of the casket. A Victoria Cross was also placed on the casket, along with other nations’ highest awards.
View of President Warren Harding placing a wreath of flowers on the casket of the Unknown Soldier in the rotunda of the Capitol, Washington, DC, November, 1921. US Army photo. (Photo Credit: Interim Archives/Getty Images)
Four soldiers were removed from graves in France
To select the soldier to be buried within the tomb, four unknown soldiers killed during WWI were exhumed from their graves in France. Before being sent to the US, the remains of the four men were placed in caskets and arranged in random order in the city hall of Châlons-sur-Marne. Sgt. Edward F. Younger of Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 50th Infantry was selected to choose one of the caskets.
Sgt. Younger then placed a spray of white roses on one of the caskets. The Unknown was then sent to the US to be interred in the tomb.
WWII and Korean War unknows were interred in the tomb
After WWII, many Americans supported the idea of placing an Unknown Soldier from WWII into the tomb but plans to do this were halted by the start of the Korean War in June 1950. Finally, in August 1956, three years after the Korean War ended, President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved the internment of an Unknown from WWII and Korea.
After being selected, the Unknowns from Korea and WWII arrived in Washington D.C. on May 28, 1958. For two days they remained in the Capitol Rotunda. After this, they were placed into crypts to the west of the WWI Unknown in the Arlington National Cemetery.
The scene at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is seen here, as the casket of General of the Armies, John J. Pershing lays before the tomb for ceremonies as a salute to the “Unknown Soldier.” On steps, in the left foreground are honorary pallbearers, and in the left background are members of the family and government officials. In the group are Mrs. Warren Pershing; in the back of her are Generals Eisenhower and Bradley; also, in the front line are Secretary of State George C. Marshall, former Vice President Dawes, and Secretary of Army, Kenneth C. Royall. In the back of the casket is the black draped horse, symbolic of fallen General officers and cavalry men; lastly shown are Color Guard and Army band. (Photo Credit: Bettmann / Contributor)
Selecting a soldier from WWII was complicated
Choosing an Unknown from WWII was difficult, considering American troops fought in a number of different theaters. Choosing a soldier from one theater would not represent all those lost in the war, and as a result, 13 Unknowns were selected from North Africa and Europe. Major General Edward J. O’Neill selected one of the caskets to represent those lost in the European and North African theaters.
For the Pacific, five Unknowns were exhumed and taken to Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. Air Force Colonel Glenn T. Eagleston selected one out of the five to represent those lost in the Pacific.
On May 26, 1958, the two remaining Unknowns – one from the Pacific and the other from Europe/Africa – were placed side by side on the deck of the USS Canberra off the coast of Virginia.
Navy Hospital Corpsman 1st Class William R. Charette chose one of the two, which was then taken to Arlington National Cemetery. The WWII Unknown who was not chosen was given a burial at sea.
The Old Guard
The Old Guard is perhaps the most well-known part of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Since April 6, 1948, members of The Old Guard have stood by the tomb 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The members are from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment and are also used in other military-related events.
A cavalry Soldier stands guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., on March 25, 1926, the first day a permanent military guard was posted. The Old Guard has stood watch since 1948. (Photo Credit: Library of Congress)
Trained and disciplined to an extremely high level, every movement and action by Sentinels from The Old Guard has meaning. According to the Arlington National Cemetery Website:
“The Guard marches 21 steps down the black mat behind the Tomb, turns and faces east for 21 seconds, turns and faces north for 21 seconds, and then takes 21 steps down the mat. Next, the Guard executes a sharp ‘shoulder-arms’ movement to place his/her weapon on the shoulder closest to the visitors, signifying that he or she stands between the Tomb and any possible threat. The number 21 symbolizes the highest symbolic military honor that can be bestowed: the 21-gun salute.”
