what's the meaning of GI as in GI Joe?

Answer 1

General Issue.

Government Issue

In fact wiki says it comes from Galvenized Iron.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GI_%28term%29

I have no idea about that, but what I heard was that in WWII, soldiers in the European theater were called GI's because of the letters GI on a lot of their gear.

From what I understand, GI stood for government issue or general issue.

Of course, with phases, there are usually lots of different ideas about how something got started. In any event, this is the story that I heard.

Answer 2

Government Issue

Answer 3

Government Issue

Answer 4

Government Issue a slang term for a soldier.

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. 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).

Answer 5

G.I. was the original abbreviation for galvanized iron, used in U.S. Army bookkeeping when enter articles (trash cans), that were made of it in 1915 - 1920. Later it was extended to all articles issued (as an assumed abbreviation for Government Issue) and finally to soldiers themselves.

GI Joe is the name created by David Breger when he was asked to create a comic strip for United States military magazines during World War II. His strip debuted June 17, 1942 in the military YANK magazine and Stars and Stripes newspaper.

Answer 6

General issue

Answer 7

Goverment Issued

Answer 8

Believe it or not, it means Government Issue.

Answer 9

Galvanized iron.

No, really. That's where it came from. But it's generally considered to mean "Government Issue"

Answer 10

Government issue is correct.