Maybe I'm petty... maybe I'm just particular... Who knows. A "soldier" is not a universal term for all those serving or who have ever enlisted in ANY branch of the military. A Soldier is a person who serves in the ARMY. ARMY. HOOAH! I'm sorry but the ARMY is not the same as AIR FORCE, NAVY, NATIONAL GUARD, or MARINE CORP. I forgive the media for not knowing the difference, I forgive those who haven't been exposed to the miliary throughout the course of their lives for not knowing the difference. But truly and honestly I can't forgive those who know different and refer to their Sailor, Airman, or Guardsman as a Soldier. They aren't the same. Learn the difference. Appreciate the difference. Move on. Be proud of what your [any of the above] is... but they aren't soldiers. Has anyone else noticed how they (and they know who they are... no no it's not Casey, this happens a lot and isn't directed at anyONE person), don't generalize all military or deployed service members as "Marines". No no... the Marines are sacred... or something?! I know the difference between a soldier, a marine, an airman, a sailor and a guardsman... I wouldn't dare to refer to my husband as a Marine, Airman or anything more than what he is- a Soldier, or on a rare occasion an NCO.
I guess this would have to be considered a small just a lil rant right? I think of it more as a helpful hint- a nudge in the right direction.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
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5 comments:
Haha, I hear ya!! My husband is a pilot for the Navy, so certainly not a soldier, and technically not a sailor... I'm not sure why it DRIVES ME CRAZY, but it does!
And, to answer your question, we do live on base in Guam... but we are the lone Navy squadron on an Air Force Base, which basically means everything is a little nicer, since apparently the AF has more money to spend on MWR than any other branch :)
Love your blog!! Thanks for "stopping by" Guam!!
You're not alone. It drives me a little crazy also!!
I think it's an important recognition. Despite my hubby being a soldier, I try to make sure that people express their support of the "troops" as that encompasses Marines and Airmen/women, etc etc! :)
I'm not so sure I agree with that. The definition of a soldier does include: "A person engaged in military service" and "a person of military skill or experience." That would include all branches of the military. Another definition includes "enlisted men and women" which distinguishes them from Commissioned Officers.
Also, and this is a HUGE button that was pushed while reading this, National Guard is a segment of big Army and therefore, under your definition, all Guardsmen would be Soldiers. To argue otherwise would diminish the Guards role in the military and that's a whole other arguement I can make, but won't in a comment (because I can get pretty passionate about that one).
Just to respond to your definitions portion, I found a one that defines a soldier as a member of the "Army"... I'm sure there are definitions that will fit whomever's idea of what a soldier is -- we all and me included look for what we want to see or what to hear.
Also, you refered to it as the "guard" and not Army. If they are different and separate services why would their service members be refered to as the same?
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