Soldier
A soldier is a person who has enlisted with, or has been conscripted into, the armed forces of a country. The term
soldier is usually limited to people who serve in the
army. Groups of soldiers are usually divided into military units, which are organized in a strictly hierarchial fashion.
Although all soldiers get basic combat training, many soldiers serve in non-combat positions .
In an army, the most common military rank held by soldiers is the lowest - in the
British Army and
United States Army, a private or equivalent. In some militaries,
soldier specifically refers to members of the army who are not holders of an officer's commission.
Encyclopedia
A soldier is a person who has enlisted with, or has been conscripted into, the armed forces of a country. The term
soldier is usually limited to people who serve in the
army. Groups of soldiers are usually divided into military units, which are organized in a strictly hierarchial fashion.
Although all soldiers get basic combat training, many soldiers serve in non-combat positions .
In an army, the most common military rank held by soldiers is the lowest - in the
British Army and
United States Army, a private or equivalent. In some militaries,
soldier specifically refers to members of the army who are not holders of an officer's commission. In most armies of the world a soldier who is not an officer can in theory work their way through the ranks to obtain a commission.
A soldier who no longer serves in the armed forces is often called a
veteran, a term which can also apply to a long-serving or experienced soldier who is still in the army.
Classification
Infantry are soldiers who specialise in combat on foot. Today many travel in vehicles, but generally fight on foot.
Cavalry , are traditionally soldiers who operated on
horseback, but now crew
armored fighting vehicles. Variations include
dragoons ,
lancers;
hussars,
uhlans,
Cossacks, and
cuirassiers.
Artillery operate heavy indirect fire weapons, such as mortars and
howitzers.
Engineers, are specialists in military
construction,
demolition,
bridging and
mine.
Army aviators are soldiers who operate army aircraft . They are so defined because they fight as part of the land battle, and hence belong to land force elements.
Medics are soldiers who provide medical support to the fighting force. They often serve beside ground forces in combat.
Not all personnel who fill these roles are technically soldiers. These include members of the
British RAF Regiment , and members of the
United States Marine Corps, British
Royal Marines, and other
marine forces . Several navies maintain forces of
naval infantry, who are sailors, not soldiers.
Etymology
The word
soldier is derived from an
Old French word, itself a derivation of
Solidarius,
Latin for someone who served for pay, as opposed to warriors in tribal society where every grown man is automatically member of his clan's fighting force.
Solidare in Latin means "to pay";
Roman soldiers were paid in
solidi, so-called because they were a new type of
solid gold coin brought in after a reform of the Roman money system.
The common origin for the words
soldier and
payment survives not only in
French but also in other languages, like
German ,
Spanish and
Dutch .
See also
- Army
- List of soldiers
- Related terms: Mercenary, Guerrilla, Militant, Combatant
- Famous groups of soldiers: Praetorian Guard, Swiss Mercenaries, Swiss Guard, French Foreign Legion
- Types of soldiers: Cavalry, Commando, Dragoon, Infantry, Marine, Paratrooper, Sniper
...
,
Special Forces
