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Why is 'GI Joe' called 'Government Issue Joe'?
What did GI Joe mean in WW2?
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When did GI Joe first come into use?
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The name “G.I. Joe” was inspired by a 1945 film about film about war correspondent Ernie Pyle, titled The Story of G.I. JOE. The name was perfect, Levine remembers, “because ‘Government...
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- HISTORY Vault: World War I Documentaries
The origins of this popular nickname are somewhat murky. A popular theory links the term to the early 20th century, when “G.I.” was stamped on military trash cans and buckets. The two-letter abbreviation stood for the material from which these items were made: galvanized iron.
Later, the definition of GI broadened and during World War I it was used to refer to all things Army-related, according to “Origins of the Specious: Myths and Misconceptions of the English Language” by Patricia T. O’Conner and Stewart Kellerman. When this happened, GI was reinterpreted as “government issue” or “general issue.”
G.I. Bill
The prevalence of the term led soldiers in World War II to start referring to themselves as GIs. Some servicemen used it as a sarcastic reference symbolizing their belief that they were just mass-produced products of the government.
During the war, GI Joe also became a term for U.S. soldiers. Cartoonist Dave Breger, who was drafted into the Army in 1941, is credited with coining the name with his comic strip titled “G.I. Joe,” which he published in a weekly military magazine called Yank, beginning in 1942. In 1964, U.S. toy company Hasbro, after taking note of competitor Mattel’s huge success with the Barbie doll (launched in 1959), debuted “G.I. Joe,” a military-themed line of action figures for boys.
Meanwhile, in June 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, which became commonly known as the GI Bill. The famous legislation provided a range of benefits for returning World War II veterans, including funding for college, home loans and unemployment insurance.
- Elizabeth Nix
- 46 sec
Nov 1, 2021 · G.I. was a well-established name by the time WWII came around, with cartoonist Dave Breger titling a comic strip “G.I. Joe” in 1942. In 1944 President Roosevelt signed the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 into law, which became known as the G.I. Bill.
Dec 30, 2021 · As David Breger had to explain repeatedly, the “G.I.” in G.I. Joe stood for “government issue.” American soldiers quickly adopted the G.I. Joe moniker as their own, but not because the cartoon portrayed an ideal warrior.
Apr 9, 2019 · Hasbro introduced Government Issue Joe in 1964. The name was inspired by the 1945 film The Story of G.I. Joe, starring Robert Mitchum. Following Barbie’s example, Hasbro created multiple ...
- Maude Campbell
Jul 3, 2023 · They became G.I.s or government-issued soldiers. That sentimentality grew within the military all the way up to the halls of government when President Franklin Roosevelt signed into law...
Apr 4, 2012 · The original use of the term “G.I. Joe” (a naturally alliterative spinoff from the WW2 term “Government Issue,” as well as the less formal “General Infantry”) was in a cartoon launched in 1942 by Sergeant David Breger for Yank the Army Weekly.
