All Topics  
Doughboy

 
Doughboy

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Doughboy
 
 
  Topics Doughboy Topic Home

Doughboy is an outdated slang term for a United States Army infantry
Infantry

Infantry are soldiers who are primarily trained for the role of fighting on foot. A soldier in the infantry is known as an infantryman. Infantry units have more physically demanding training than other branches of armies, and place a greater emphasis on fitness, physical strength and aggression....
man, best known from its use in World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
, although it dates back to the Mexican-American War of 1846-48.

origin of the term is unclear. The most often cited explanation is that it arose during the Mexican-American War, after observers noticed U.S. infantry
Infantry

Infantry are soldiers who are primarily trained for the role of fighting on foot. A soldier in the infantry is known as an infantryman. Infantry units have more physically demanding training than other branches of armies, and place a greater emphasis on fitness, physical strength and aggression....
 forces were constantly covered with chalky dust from marching through the dry terrain of northern Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
, giving the men the appearance of unbaked dough.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Doughboy'
Start a new discussion about 'Doughboy'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Doughboy is an outdated slang term for a United States Army infantry
Infantry

Infantry are soldiers who are primarily trained for the role of fighting on foot. A soldier in the infantry is known as an infantryman. Infantry units have more physically demanding training than other branches of armies, and place a greater emphasis on fitness, physical strength and aggression....
man, best known from its use in World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
, although it dates back to the Mexican-American War of 1846-48.

Etymology

The origin of the term is unclear. The most often cited explanation is that it arose during the Mexican-American War, after observers noticed U.S. infantry
Infantry

Infantry are soldiers who are primarily trained for the role of fighting on foot. A soldier in the infantry is known as an infantryman. Infantry units have more physically demanding training than other branches of armies, and place a greater emphasis on fitness, physical strength and aggression....
 forces were constantly covered with chalky dust from marching through the dry terrain of northern Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
, giving the men the appearance of unbaked dough. Another suggestion is that doughboys were so named because of their method of cooking field rations of the 1840s and 1850s, usually doughy flour and rice concoctions baked in the ashes of a camp fire, although this does not explain why only infantryman received the appellation. Still another explanation involves pipe clay
Catlinite

Catlinite is a type of argillite , usually brownish-red in color, which occurs in a Matrix of Sioux quartzite. Because it is fine-grained and easily-worked, it is prized by Native Americans in the United States for use in making sacred Smoking pipe commonly referred to as peace pipes, or calumets ....
, a substance with the appearance of dough
Dough

This article is about a cooking ingredient. For the British sitcom episode, see Dough .Dough is a paste made out of any cereals or legume crops by mixing the flour with a small amount of water....
 used by pre-Civil War soldiers to clean their white garrison belts. None of these theories are provable.
Doughboy Award
What is known with certainty is that the term doughboy - as applied to infantry soldiers of the United States Army - appears in authenticated written wartime accounts as well as postwar memoirs of the Mexican-American War of 1846-47.

In general usage, "doughboy" became most popular during World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
 with the formation and deployment of the American Expeditionary Force
American Expeditionary Force

The American Expeditionary warfare or AEF was the United States Armed Forces force sent to Europe in World War I.The AEF fought alongside allied forces against German Empire forces....
 (AEF) led by General John J. Pershing
John J. Pershing

John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, Order of the Bath was an officer in the United States Army. He is the only person to be promoted in his own lifetime to the highest rank ever held in the United States Army?General of the Armies....
. U.S. Army enlisted soldiers and non-commissioned officers in the AEF frequently referred to themselves by the name, and the term was widely used in contemporary media, both in the United States and in Europe. At first, the term was applied only to U.S. infantry or foot soldiers, but soon extended to the entire American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 contingent, to the chagrin of the Marines. The term was used sparingly during World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, gradually replaced by the appellations "G.I.
GI (term)

GI or G.I. is a term describing members of the United States armed forces or items of their equipment. It may be used as an adjective or as a noun....
", "Troop
Troop

A troop is a military unit, originally a small force of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron and headed by the troop leader. A cavalry soldier of Private is called a Trooper ....
", or "Dogface
Dogface (military)

Dogface refers to a United States Army foot soldier serving in the infantry, especially in World War II....
", but was still used in popular songs of the day, as in the 1942 song Johnny Doughboy found a Rose in Ireland. It dropped out of popular use soon after World War II. However, in the 1960s General William Westmoreland
William Westmoreland

William C. Westmoreland was an United States General who commanded Military of the United States in the Vietnam War at its peak from 1964 to 1968 and who served as United States Army Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1968 to 1972....
 started what was called Recondo
Recondo

Recondo is an American military term for a combination of RECONnaissance and DOoughboy special training or a graduate of a Recondo school....
, a training course that took its name from "reconnaissance
Reconnaissance

Reconnaissance is a military and medical term denoting exploration conducted to gain information. Militarily, its shorthand Australian, Canadian, and British form is recce , its American usage form is recon ....
" and "doughboy".

See also

  • Dogface
    Dogface (military)

    Dogface refers to a United States Army foot soldier serving in the infantry, especially in World War II....
  • Folk etymology
  • Frank Buckles
    Frank Buckles

    Frank Woodruff Buckles is, at age 108, the last identified living United States veteran of World War I. He currently lives in Charles Town, West Virginia and is the Honorary Chairman of the World War I Memorial Foundation....
     - last Doughboy from World War I.


External links

  • .


www.doughboysthmovie.com