Wartime era portrait of a typical American doughboy, circa: 1918.

Etymology

The origin of the term is unclear. The most often cited explanation is that it arose during the Mexican-American War, after observers noticed U.S. infantry forces were constantly covered with chalky dust from marching through the dry terrain of northern Mexico, giving the men the appearance of unbaked dough.^[3] Another suggestion is that doughboys were so named because of their method of cooking field rations of the 1840s and 1850s, usually doughy flour and rice concoctions baked in the ashes of a camp fire, although this does not explain why only infantryman received the appellation.^[3] Still another explanation involves pipe clay, a substance with the appearance of dough used by pre-Civil War soldiers to clean their white garrison belts. None of these theories are provable.

An American doughboy (right) receives an award from King George V.

What is known with certainty is that the term doughboy - as applied to infantry soldiers of the United States Army - first appears, without any precedent that can be documented, in authenticated written wartime accounts as well as postwar memoirs of the Mexican-American War of 1846-47.^[4][5][3]

In general usage, "doughboy" became most popular during World War I with the formation and deployment of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) led by General John J. Pershing. U.S. Army enlisted soldiers and non-commissioned officers in the AEF frequently referred to themselves by the name, and the term was widely used in contemporary media, both in the United States and in Europe. At first, the term was applied only to U.S. infantry or foot soldiers, but soon extended to the entire American contingent, to the chagrin of the Marines. The term was used sparingly during World War II, gradually replaced by the appellations "G.I.", "Troop", or "Dogface", but was still used in popular songs of the day, as in the 1942 song Johnny Doughboy found a Rose in Ireland.^[6] It dropped out of popular use soon after World War II.^[7] However, in the 1960s General William Westmoreland started what was called Recondo, a training course that took its name from "reconnaissance" and "doughboy".http://www.vietnamgear.com/Article.aspx?Art=54

See also

• Dogface
• Folk etymology
• Frank Buckles - last Doughboy from World War I.

References

External links

• Origin of term Doughboy.

www.doughboysthmovie.com

tr:Doughboy

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