The Yellow Ribbon Fund (YRF) is a charity that primarily helps returning American service men & women , injured during active service, who are recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Hospital . The charity was founded on March 1, 2005 and is based in Bethesda, MD .
32-473: The YRF helps recovering service members through various events and programs, arranged by staff and volunteers, aimed to help the patients and their families enjoy the community. The YRF has arranged numerous parties, trips (to places like Fredericksburg, the carnival, etc.), and even weddings. Several high-profile people have supported the charity, including Mandy Moore , Marty Cordova , Dana White and Forrest Griffin . The charity has also received help from
64-686: A "draft". Currently, many countries require registration for some form of mandatory service, although that requirement may be selectively enforced or exist only in law and not in practice. Usually the requirement applies to younger male citizens, though it may extend to women and non-citizen residents as well. In times of war, the requirements, such as age, may be broadened when additional troops are thought to be needed. At different times and places, some individuals have been able to avoid conscription by having another person take their place. Modern draft laws may provide temporary or permanent exemptions from service or allow some other non-combatant service, as in
96-457: A distinct and honourable activity." In modern times, soldiers have volunteered for armed service, especially in time of war, out of a sense of patriotic duty to their homeland or to advance a social, political, or ideological cause, while improved levels of remuneration or training might be more of an incentive in times of economic hardship. Soldiers might also enlist for personal reasons, such as following family or social expectations, or for
128-862: A replacement for private (i.e. Sig Smith). In the British Army , signaller may refer to a member of the Royal Corps of Signals specifically to the rank of Signaller (formerly Signalman) or a trained signals specialist in other areas of the army such as the Infantry or Royal Artillery . The rank is equivalent to that of Private . See also: Land Mobile Radio System , Walkie-Talkie , Transceiver The US and European powers, especially during World War 1 and World War 2, have employed extensive use of field telephones and other methods of transmitting messages like carrier pigeons, runners were essentially army messengers and couriers that ran from place to place, culminating in
160-616: A study of 18th century soldiers' written records about their time in service, historian Ilya Berkovich suggests "three primary 'levers' of motivation ... 'coercive', 'remunerative', and 'normative' incentives." Berkovich argues that historians' assumptions that fear of coercive force kept unwilling conscripts in check and controlled rates of desertion have been overstated and that any pay or other remuneration for service as provided then would have been an insufficient incentive. Instead, " old-regime common soldiers should be viewed primarily as willing participants who saw themselves as engaged in
192-403: A whole or to any rank." The length of time that an individual is required to serve as a soldier has varied with country and historical period, whether that individual has been drafted or has voluntarily enlisted. Such service, depending on the army's need for staffing or the individual's fitness and eligibility, may involve fulfillment of a contractual obligation. That obligation might extend for
224-403: Is a person who serves as part of an army . A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person , a non-commissioned officer , a warrant officer , or an officer . Soldiers may be involved directly in armed hostilities, such as members of infantry , artillery , or armored units, or as personnel serving in support roles that rarely see actual combat. The word soldier derives from
256-578: Is the term "red caps" to refer to military policemen personnel in the British Army because of the colour of their headgear. Infantry are sometimes called "grunts" in the United States Army (as the well as in the U.S. Marine Corps ) or "squaddies" (in the British Army). U.S. Army artillery crews, or "gunners," are sometimes referred to as "redlegs", from the service branch colour for artillery . U.S. soldiers are often called " G.I.s " (short for
288-882: The Byzantine Empire . In most armies, the word "soldier" has a general meaning that refers to all members of any army, distinct from more specialized military occupations that require different areas of knowledge and skill sets. "Soldiers" may be referred to by titles, names, nicknames , or acronyms that reflect an individual's military occupation specialty arm, service, or branch of military employment, their type of unit, or operational employment or technical use such as: trooper , tanker (a member of tank crew), commando , dragoon , infantryman , guardsman , artilleryman , paratrooper , grenadier , ranger , sniper , engineer , sapper , craftsman , signaller , medic , rifleman , or gunner , among other terms. Some of these designations or their etymological origins have existed in
320-598: The Middle English word soudeour , from Old French soudeer or soudeour , meaning mercenary, from soudee , meaning shilling 's worth or wage, from sou or soud , shilling. The word is also related to the Medieval Latin soldarius , meaning soldier (literally, "one having pay"). These words ultimately derive from the Late Latin word solidus , referring to an ancient Roman coin used in
352-433: The front line (Army units, Ships or Aircraft), through a chain of command which includes field headquarters. Messages are transmitted and received via a communications infrastructure comprising fixed and mobile installations. In the past, signalling skills have included the use of: Heliograph , Aldis lamp , semaphore flags , "Don R" ( Dispatch Riders ) and even carrier pigeons . Modern signallers are responsible for
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#1732859517953384-583: The satirical television program The Colbert Report . Stephen Colbert announced that he would donate all proceeds made by his WristStrong wrist bands and the auction of his cast would go to the Yellow Ribbon Fund . The winning bid for his cast was $ 17,200. As of January 23, 2008, over 30,000 WristStrong Bracelets were sold. Marie Wood, Director of Communications, was presented a gigantic novelty cheque for $ 171,525 on The Report that day. Many companies and organizations have worked with, and donated to,
416-451: The Army for family, institutional, and occupational reasons, and many value the opportunity to become a military professional. They value their relationships with other soldiers, enjoy their social lives, and are satisfied with Army life." However, the authors cautioned that the survey sample consisted of only 81 soldiers and that "the findings of this study cannot be generalized to the U.S. Army as
448-513: The English language for centuries, while others are relatively recent, reflecting changes in technology, increased division of labor , or other factors. In the United States Army, a soldier's military job is designated as a Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) , which includes a very wide array of MOS Branches and sub-specialties. One example of a nickname for a soldier in a specific occupation
480-639: The Soviet Union " for their actions in the army or as partisan fighters. In the United Kingdom, women served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) and later in the Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC). Soon after its entry into the war, the U.S. formed the Women's Army Corps , whose female soldiers were often referred to as "WACs." These sex-segregated branches were disbanded in the last decades of
512-574: The U.S. Army, career soldiers who have served for at least 20 years are eligible to draw on a retirement pension . The size of the pension as a percentage of the soldier's salary usually increases with the length of time served on active duty. Since the earliest recorded history, soldiers and warfare have been depicted in countless works, including songs, folk tales, stories, memoirs, biographies, novels and other narrative fiction, drama, films, and more recently television and video, comic books, graphic novels, and games. Often these portrayals have emphasized
544-586: The YRF to support them in their mission of helping injured service members. Those organizations include, but are not limited to Independent Benefit Services , the Army Navy Country Club , American Airlines , Mary House , and Barwood Taxi . This article about a philanthropic or charitable organization in the United States is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Soldier A soldier
576-669: The area of operation, by means of radio or other digital communications. In the Australian Army , a signaller is often referred to as a Chook (Australian Slang for Chicken) by soldiers outside the Signal Corps, because the Morse code used by Signallers has been likened to the chirping of chickens. In the Canadian Army , a signaller is often referred to as a "Jimmy" in reference to the flag and cap badge feature Mercury (Latin: Mercurius),
608-604: The battlefield voice and data communication and information technology infrastructure or in common English terms, they may carry a backpack radio transceiver used to communicate to forward operating bases (large and small outposts for the military), using a variety of media. All types of wire (line), satellite and ionospheric radio communication are employed. These include common radio systems such as HF/VHF radio and UHF/SHF radio (operated in line of sight, for example). Cellular radio and telephone systems such as TETRA are also becoming common. In addition to day-to-day soldiering,
640-525: The case of conscientious objectors . In the United States, males aged 18-25 are required to register with the Selective Service System , which has responsibility for overseeing the draft. However, no draft has occurred since 1973, and the U.S. military has been able to maintain staffing through voluntary enlistment. Soldiers in war may have various motivations for voluntarily enlisting and remaining in an army or other armed forces branch. In
672-632: The duration of an armed conflict or may be limited to a set number of years in active duty and/or inactive duty. As of 2023, service in the U.S. Army is for a Military Service Obligation of 2 to 6 years of active duty with a remaining term in the Individual Ready Reserve . Individuals may also enlist for part-time duty in the Army Reserve or National Guard . Depending on need or fitness to serve, soldiers usually may reenlist for another term, possibly receiving monetary or other incentives. In
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#1732859517953704-415: The extensive World War 2, Korea and Vietnam use of the backpack transceiver, eventually becoming unit-based radio and unit-to-HQ based field "telephone". Specially designated soldiers in a unit would and still do, have a single soldier with a backpack transceiver and large telescoping antennae that can be as tall as 10 meters or 20 feet. It is also called RTO, which stands for "Radio Telephone Operator". At
736-545: The heroic qualities of soldiers in war, but at times have emphasized war's inherent dangers, confusions, and trauma and their effect on individual soldiers and others. Signaller A signaller, signalman , colloquially referred to as a radioman or signaleer in the armed forces is a specialist soldier , sailor or airman responsible for military communications . Signallers, a.k.a. Combat Signallers or signalmen or women, are commonly employed as radio or telephone operators, relaying messages for field commanders at
768-571: The name Jimmy comes from is a Royal Signals boxer, called Jimmy Emblem, who was the British Army Champion in 1924 and represented the Royal Corps of Signals from 1921 to 1924. Signallers in Canada are responsible for the majority of radio, satellite, telephone, and computer communications within the Canadian military. Trained signallers of the rank of private in Canada are referred to as "Sig" as
800-589: The order and discipline provided by military training, as well as for the friendship and connection with their fellow soldiers afforded by close contact in a common enterprise. In 2018, the RAND Corporation published the results of a study of contemporary American soldiers in Life as a Private: A Study of the Motivations and Experiences of Junior Enlisted Personnel in the U.S. Army . The study found that "soldiers join
832-544: The possible effects of such service on the institution of legal slavery . Some Black soldiers, both freemen and men who had escaped from slavery, served in Union forces, until 1863, when the Emancipation Proclamation opened the door for the formation of Black units. After the war, Black soldiers continued to serve, but in segregated units, often subjected to physical and verbal racist abuse. The term " Buffalo Soldiers "
864-426: The signaller is required to be competent at a number of skill levels in the following topics: In an air force , a signaller, an aircrew member , is a person trained to communicate between the aircraft, its base and units in the area of operation, by means of radio or other digital communications. In the navy , a signaller is usually a seaman trained to communicate between the fleet forces and naval bases in
896-508: The status or changes in status of soldiers for reasons of gender , race , or other social factors. With certain exceptions, service as a soldier, especially in the infantry, had generally been restricted to males throughout world history. By World War II, women were actively deployed in Allied forces in different ways. Some notable female soldiers in the Soviet Union were honored as " Heroes of
928-486: The term "Government Issue"). Such terms may be associated with particular wars or historical eras. "G.I." came into common use during World War II and after, but prior to and during World War I especially, American soldiers were called " Doughboys ," while British infantry troops were often referred to as "Tommies " (short for the archetypal soldier "Tommy Atkins") and French infantry were called "Poilus " ("hairy ones"). Some formal or informal designations may reflect
960-509: The twentieth century and women soldiers were integrated into the standing branches of the military, although their ability to serve in armed combat was often restricted. Race has historically been an issue restricting the ability of some people to serve in the U.S. Army. Until the American Civil War , Black soldiers fought in integrated and sometimes separate units, but at other times were not allowed to serve, largely due to fears about
992-520: The winged messenger of the Roman gods, who is referred to by members of the corps as "Jimmy". The origins of this nickname are unclear. According to one explanation, the badge is referred to as "Jimmy" because the image of Mercury was based on the late medieval bronze statue by the Italian sculptor Giambologna , and shortening over time reduced the name Giambologna to "Jimmy". The most widely accepted theory of where
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1024-724: Was applied to some units fighting in the 19th century Indian Wars in the American West. Eventually, the phrase was applied more generally to segregated Black units, who often distinguished themselves in armed conflict and other service. In 1948, President Harry S. Truman issued an executive order for the end of segregation in the United States Armed Forces . Throughout history, individuals have often been compelled by force or law to serve in armies and other armed forces in times of war or other times. Modern forms of such compulsion are generally referred to as " conscription " or
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