Soldier

A soldier is a person who fights as part of an army. If people take part in combat as part of irregular armies not wearing a uniform, and not part of the official military, they are called partisans.

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The ancient Spartan army highlighted the advantages of keeping together in time through drill. Thucydides described the Spartan soldiers marching into combat at the battle of Mantineia in 418 BC "slowly and to the music of many flute players in their ranks. . . to make them keep in step and move forward steadily without breaking their ranks."

The Sacred Band of Thebes were 300 elite soldiers made up of 150 pairs of male lovers. During the Battle of Chaeronia in 338BC, they stood and fought to the death while their comrades ran. They were buried side by side.

There are a few recorded attempts at uniform dress in antiquity, going beyond the similarity to be expected of ethnic or tribal dress. One example is the Spanish infantry of Hannibal who wore white tunics with crimson edgings.

The taunting Frenchman in Monty Python and the Holy Grail was historically accurate. John Cleese had the idea after reading in a history book about medieval soldiers whose sole purpose were to launch insults against enemy soldiers prior to battle.

The elements of today's military uniforms first came into use in the early 17th century at about the time of the Thirty Years' War. Prior to the emergence of the full-fledged uniform, armies had used different kinds of insignia as identifying marks. These served to distinguish ally from enemy. Colored sashes worn at the shoulder or around the waist were the insignia used in Denmark, Sweden, Spain, and a few other countries.

Illustrations of military uniforms from 1690 to 1865 by René L'Hôpital.

French soldier Jean Thurel (September 6, 1698 –March 10, 1807) enlisted in the Régiment de Touraine at the age of 17, in 1717 beginning a career of military service that would span 90 years. He remained a low-ranking fusilier for his entire army career.

Frederick William I, the King in Prussia from 1713 until 1740, had a regiment of very tall men, known as the "Potsdam Giants". The taller they were, the more they were paid - and they were paired with tall women, to breed giant soldiers. However, they were never sent on active service, as they were considered too valuable.

British soldiers fighting in the Boer War were issued with the first composite emergency ration packs containing two tins to be used only in extremity. One held four ounces of beef concentrate and the other five ounces of cocoa paste.

The prevalent food of the British army fighting in World War I was corned beef. The "Tommies" called it "bully beef " because it was cooked beef, from the French bouilli for "boiled."

English soldiers were nicknamed "Tommies" during World War I because the example name on the forms soldiers were required to fill out was Thomas Atkins, the U.S. equivalent of John Smith. The name first appeared in 1815 when sample forms for soldiers showed where their signatures should appear. Rudyard Kipling also helped popularize the term "Tommy" in his writings.

Albert Severin Roche joined the French Army in 1914 and fought in World War I. In 1916, Roche was found sleeping during duty. He was arrested and sentenced to death by a firing squad. However, a messenger arrived right before his execution and told the true story: Roche had crawled 10 hours under fire to rescue his captain and then collapsed from exhaustion. The messenger's testimony saved Roche's life. He was pardoned and returned to the front lines. He continued to fight bravely and was eventually promoted to the rank of sergeant. Roche survived the war and returned to France. He died in 1974 at the age of 79.

Augustin Trebuchon was the last French soldier killed during World War I. He was shot 15 minutes before the ceasefire came into effect, at 10.45am on November 11, 1918. Trebuchon was delivering a message to his unit that soup would be served for lunch.

Audie Leon Murphy (June 20, 1925 – May 28, 1971) was one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II. He received every military combat award for valor available from the U.S. Army, as well as French and Belgian awards for heroism. Murphy received the Medal of Honor, the USA's highest and most prestigious personal military decoration, for valor that he demonstrated at the age of 19 for holding off an entire German company alone.

Movie actor James Garner was a decorated military veteran who served in World War II and Korea. He was awarded the purple heart twice in Korea, once from a friendly fire incident where he was shot in the backside by a U.S. Fighter as he dived into a foxhole. He was given his medal 32 years later.

Harry Patch, the last surviving British World War I veteran soldier to fight in the trenches, died on July 25, 2009, at the age of 111 years, 1 month, 1 week, and 1 day. He was born on June 17, 1898, in Combe Down, Bath, England. Patch joined the British Army in 1916 and fought in the Battle of the Somme. He was wounded in action and received the Military Medal for his bravery. 

Patch was a vocal advocate for peace and spoke out against war throughout his life. He was a member of the Peace Pledge Union and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. He also wrote a book about his experiences in World War I called The Last Fighting Tommy.

Frank Buckles, the last surviving American soldier of World War I, lived for 110 years and died in 2011. When asked about his secret for long life, he simply offered, "When you start to die... don't."

Mr. Frank Woodruff Buckles on March 6, 2008

Mikhail Krichevsky was the longest-living veteran of the First World War. When he died in 2008 at age 111, he was the last surviving veteran of the Tsar's army.

David Goggins (born February 17, 1975) is the only member in the U.S. Armed Forces to complete SEAL training, Ranger School and Air Force Tactical Air Controller training. Goggins retired from active duty as a Chief Petty Officer in 2016. He's also an ultra-athlete and held the world record for most pull-ups in 24hrs.

The rapper Ice-T served four years in the U.S. Army, was a squad leader for the 25th Infantry Division, and received an honorable discharge.

In 2013 the average age of a United States Army soldier beginning initial training was 20.7 years.

Red Hand Day, also known as the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers, was established on February 12, 2002 and is observed every year on February 12. This day aims to raise awareness about the recruitment and use of child soldiers and advocates for their demobilization and rehabilitation. It was initiated by the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, a global network of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working to prevent the use of child soldiers.

As of  2022 there are an estimated 250,000 child soldiers in the world.

Sources Europress Encyclopedia, Compton's Encyclopedia, Food For Thought by Ed Pearce