2007-02-25 20:12:43 · 13 answers · asked by Minilover 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
GI or G.I. is a term describing a member of the US armed forces or an item of their equipment. It may be used as an adjective or as a noun. The term is often thought to be an initialism of "Government Issue" but the origin of the term is in fact "Galvanized Iron" after the letters "GI" that were stamped on U.S. Army metal trash cans made from it.[1][2] During World War I, US soldiers sardonically referred to incoming German artillery shells as "GI cans". During the 1930s it was somehow assumed that GI stood for Government Issue and the term was applied to other equipment and the soldiers themselves. The term reached even farther use as its usage spread with the American troops during World War II.
Alternative interpretations include General Issue, General Infantry, General Inspector, Ground Infantry, General Invasion, Government Inductee, and Gastrointestinal (a reference to problems claimed to come from the poor quality of the food, probably a joke).
2007-02-25 20:18:53 · answer #1 · answered by unimatrix_42 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
GI or G.I. is a term describing a member of the US armed forces or an item of their equipment. It may be used as an adjective or as a noun. The term is often thought to be an initialism of "Government Issue" but the origin of the term is in fact "Galvanized Iron" after the letters "GI" that were stamped on U.S. Army metal trash cans made from it.[1][2] During World War I, US soldiers sardonically referred to incoming German artillery shells as "GI cans". During the 1930s it was somehow assumed that GI stood for Government Issue and the term was applied to other equipment and the soldiers themselves. The term reached even farther use as its usage spread with the American troops during World War II.
2007-02-25 20:20:08 · answer #2 · answered by P Ni Ka 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Government Issue
2007-02-25 20:17:26 · answer #3 · answered by tom l 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Government Issue or General Infantry.
2007-02-25 20:22:02 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. It actually means Government Issue as in being disbursed by the US Government. It has evolved into a generic and possibly slang term for a US soldier. It's not meant to be offensive and has become ubiquitous in the service.
2007-02-25 21:49:08 · answer #5 · answered by iraq51 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ground Infantry
2007-02-26 12:19:56 · answer #6 · answered by matthewjayne20 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
American GI = American Gone Idiot.
2007-02-25 20:22:28 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
It is American. GI (pronounced gee eye) actually is G1 (gee one, using the Roman numeral I). GI is a standard normal fighting soldier. G2 is their intelligence section. American soldiers joke that GI stands for 'Government issue". In the same way when you hear the Yanks talk about "Eye Corps" they are discussing 1st Corps (One Corps) .
2007-02-25 20:17:02 · answer #8 · answered by 88keys 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Galvanized Iron
2007-02-25 20:17:07 · answer #9 · answered by Vegan 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
TomI is correct...it is shorthand for Government Issue..slang circa WW2...
2007-02-25 20:23:52 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋