Soldier
A
soldier is a person who serves in an
armed force for pay. 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 (such as in
office management, clerical, logistics, or research and development).
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.
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A second-century marble carving of a Sarmatian cavalryman |
Infantry (or infantrymen; archaically "foot") are soldiers who specialise in combat on foot. Today many travel in vehicles, but generally fight on foot.
Cavalry (or cavalrymen; archaically "horse"), are traditionally soldiers who operated on
horseback, but now crew
armored fighting vehicles. Variations include
dragoons (who traditionally travelled on horseback but fought as infantrymen),
lancers;
hussars,
uhlans,
Cossacks, and
cuirassiers.
Artillery (or artillerymen) 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 (normally
helicopters). They are so defined because they fight as part of the land battle, and hence belong to land (not air) force elements.
Medical (or medic) 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 (who are technically
airmen, not soldiers), and members of the
United States Marine Corps, British
Royal Marines, and other
marine forces (many of whom bristle at being called soldiers, although they are often so described). Several navies maintain forces of
naval infantry, who are sailors, not soldiers.
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" and
Roman soldiers were paid in
solidi. The common origin for the words
soldier and
payment survives not only in
French (
soldat and
solde) but also in other languages, like
German (
Soldat and
Sold),
Spanish (
soldado and
soldada) and
Dutch (
soldaat and
soldij).
*
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*
Military animals*
Toy soldier
