Editing Soldier (section)

==Occupational and other designations==
[[File:Filipino soldiers in Victoria, World War II.jpg|thumb|[[Filipino Australians|Filipino]] [[Australian Army]] soldiers in [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], [[Australia]] during [[World War II]], 1941]]

In most armies, the word "soldier" has a general meaning that refers to all members of an army, distinct from more specialized military occupations that require different areas of knowledge and skill sets. "Soldiers" may be referred to by titles, names, [[Nickname|nicknames]], or [[Acronym|acronyms]] that reflect an individual's military occupation specialty arm, service, or branch of military employment, their type of unit, or operational employment or technical use such as: [[Trooper (rank)|trooper]], [[tank]]er (a member of tank crew), [[commando]], [[dragoon]], [[Infantry|infantryman]], [[guardsman]], [[artilleryman]], [[paratrooper]], [[grenadier]], [[Ranger (disambiguation)#Military|ranger]], [[sniper]], [[Combat engineer|engineer]], [[sapper]], [[Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers|craftsman]], [[signaller]], [[Combat medic|medic]], [[rifleman]], or [[Gunner (rank)|gunner]], among other terms. Some of these designations or their [[Etymology|etymological]] origins have existed in the English language for centuries, while others are relatively recent, reflecting changes in technology, increased [[Division of labour|division of labor]], or other factors. In the United States Army, a soldier's military job is designated as a [[List of United States Army careers|Military Occupational Specialty (MOS)]], which includes a very wide array of MOS Branches and sub-specialties.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Army MOS List |url=https://www.armyprt.com/us-army/army-mos-list/ |access-date=January 27, 2023 |website=U.S. Army Basic|date=29 December 2011 }}</ref> One example of a nickname for a soldier in a specific occupation is the term "red caps" to refer to [[military policemen]] personnel in the [[British Army]] because of the colour of their headgear.

[[Infantry]] are sometimes called "grunts" in the [[United States Army]] (as the well as in the [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]]) or "squaddies" (in the British Army). U.S. Army artillery crews, or "gunners," are sometimes referred to as "redlegs", from the service branch colour for [[artillery]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. ARMY BRANCH SCARF (ARTILLERY, ENGINEER, USMA FACULTY) |url=http://www.uniforms-4u.com/p-army-bib-scarf-scarlet-artillery-for-engineer-13444.aspx |access-date=2022-06-27 |website=www.uniforms-4u.com}}</ref> U.S. soldiers are often called "[[G.I.|G.I.s]]" (short for the term "Government Issue").  Such terms may be associated with particular [[wars]] or historical eras. "G.I." came into common use during [[World War II]] and after, but prior to and during [[World War I]] especially, American soldiers were called "[[Doughboy|Doughboys]]," while British infantry troops were often referred to as [[Tommy Atkins|"Tommies]]" (short for the archetypal soldier "Tommy Atkins") and French infantry were called [[Poilu|"Poilus]]" ("hairy ones").

[[File:U.S. Army and French Soldiers Participate in Marara 22 7193591.jpg|thumb|[[United States Army|American]] and [[French Army|French]] soldiers during a water obstacle [[Military exercise|training exercise]], 2022]]
Some formal or informal designations may reflect the status or changes in status of soldiers for reasons of [[Gender role|gender]], [[Race (human categorization)|race]], or other social factors. With certain exceptions, service as a soldier, especially in the infantry, had generally been restricted to males throughout world history. By World War II, women were actively deployed in [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] forces in different ways. Some notable female soldiers in the [[Soviet Union]] were [[Soviet women in World War II#Infantry|honored]] as "[[Hero of the Soviet Union|Heroes of the Soviet Union]]" for their actions in the army or as [[Partisan (military)|partisan]] fighters. In the United Kingdom, women served in the [[Auxiliary Territorial Service]] (ATS) and later in the [[Women's Royal Army Corps]] (WRAC). Soon after its entry into the war, the U.S. formed the [[Women's Army Corps]], whose female soldiers were often referred to as "WACs." These sex-segregated branches were disbanded in the last decades of the twentieth century and women soldiers were integrated into the standing branches of the military, although their ability to serve in armed combat was often restricted.    

Race has historically been an issue restricting the ability of some people to serve in the U.S. Army. Until the [[American Civil War]], Black soldiers fought in integrated and sometimes separate units, but at other times were not allowed to serve, largely due to fears about the possible effects of such service on the institution of legal [[Slavery in the United States|slavery]]. Some Black soldiers, both freemen and men who had escaped from slavery, served in [[Union Army|Union]] forces, until 1863, when the [[Emancipation Proclamation]] opened the door for the formation of Black units. After the war, Black soldiers continued to serve, but in segregated units, often subjected to physical and verbal racist abuse. The term "[[Buffalo Soldier|Buffalo Soldiers]]" was applied to some units fighting in the 19th century [[American Indian Wars|Indian Wars]] in the American West. Eventually, the phrase was applied more generally to segregated Black units, who often distinguished themselves in armed conflict and other service. In 1948, President [[Harry S. Truman]] issued an [[executive order]] for the end of segregation in the [[United States Armed Forces]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Black Americans in the U.S. Army |url=https://www.army.mil/blackamericans/timeline.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202055253/https://www.army.mil/blackamericans/timeline.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 February 2022 |access-date=23 January 2023}}</ref>