# Do we really have to capitalize Soldier and Sailor now? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 13, 2008, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-have-to-capitalize-soldier-and-sailor-now/433406 "2008-01-13T21:39:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2008, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-have-to-capitalize-soldier-and-sailor-now/433406/1 "2008-01-13T21:39:46Z")
The Pentagon does it. See [http://www.army.mil/-news/2007/07/18/4066-the-armys-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-and-mild-traumatic-brain-injury-ptsdmtbi-chain-teaching-program/index.html](http://www.army.mil/-news/2007/07/18/4066-the-armys-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-and-mild-traumatic-brain-injury-ptsdmtbi-chain-teaching-program/index.html) and [http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story\_id=34303](http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=34303) I understand capitalizing Marine to refer to an individual warrior; that’s the name of his or her branch, after all. But soldier and sailor are time-honored terms just as is. They’re not members of the U.S. Soldier Service or the U.S. Sailor Department. I don’t capitalize judge, doctor, professor, attorney, or dentist unless using the term directly in front of someone’s name (and sometimes not even then). I take a back seat to no one in my admiration and respect for the U.S. armed forces. But it seems a bit silly to capitalize their job titles on every reference. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-have-to-capitalize-soldier-and-sailor-now/433406/2 "2008-01-13T22:11:48Z")
It is your Patriotic Duty. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2008, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-have-to-capitalize-soldier-and-sailor-now/433406/3 "2008-01-13T22:26:14Z")
This seems to be a recent change. Can’t say I like it, but it isn’t near as bad as some bureaucratese I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![Sprockets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/35a633/32.png) [@Sprockets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sprockets)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2008, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-have-to-capitalize-soldier-and-sailor-now/433406/4 "2008-01-13T22:31:41Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] The Pentagon does it. [QUOTE] Isn’t that a good enough reason to not do it? Haven’t you noticed how uncool it is to care about spelling, grammar, syntax etc? Whereas it is cool to text while driving. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2008, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-have-to-capitalize-soldier-and-sailor-now/433406/5 "2008-01-13T22:52:01Z")
Well Southwest Airlines, in all its printed materials, capitalizes the word Customer. That doesn’t mean we all have to do it too. Ed ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2008, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-have-to-capitalize-soldier-and-sailor-now/433406/6 "2008-01-13T22:55:56Z")
The gov’t capitalizes like crazy. Just today I encountered the trivia question “How does one carry out Sergeant’s Duties?” as if it were a proper name. My head hurt. At least we’re not all this bad. ---
**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-have-to-capitalize-soldier-and-sailor-now/433406/7 "2008-01-14T00:05:52Z")
**Elendil’s Heir** , unless you work for the Department of Defense or a branch of the US Military, I wouldn’t worry about it. I have had to capitalize Soldier for the last 8 years. Sergeant, Corporal, and Chaplain, are also capitalized. When referring to the Family of a Soldier, Family will also be capitalized. These are just the rules of style that have evolved for members of the Armed Forces. They really don’t have to be applied in unofficial or non-military applications. SSG Schwartz ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-have-to-capitalize-soldier-and-sailor-now/433406/8 "2008-01-14T00:15:52Z")
Not to make an offensive comparison, but businesses do this all the time. They’ll capitalize or put quotation marks around any term or buzz-phrase they want to draw attention to. It’s about attention and the rules of grammar aren’t particularly important. (“WidgetWorks USA announces the debut of the New Vanilla Widget, a custom Poly Widget blend using Space-Age Spanish Widgetanium!”) I don’t think my colleagues are going to start capitalizing Soldier or Sailor any time soon, so it’s not likely to pass into common usage. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-have-to-capitalize-soldier-and-sailor-now/433406/9 "2008-01-14T00:26:47Z")
[QUOTE=SSG Schwartz] **Elendil’s Heir** , unless you work for the Department of Defense or a branch of the US Military, I wouldn’t worry about it. I have had to capitalize Soldier for the last 8 years. Sergeant, Corporal, and Chaplain, are also capitalized. When referring to the Family of a Soldier, Family will also be capitalized. These are just the rules of style that have evolved for members of the Armed Forces. They really don’t have to be applied in unofficial or non-military applications. [/QUOTE] Is there a DOD style guide or other document that lays this out? ---
**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-have-to-capitalize-soldier-and-sailor-now/433406/10 "2008-01-14T00:39:42Z")
[QUOTE=Billdo] Is there a DOD style guide or other document that lays this out? [/QUOTE] For the United States Army, the reference is Army Regulation 25-50. The [pdf link](http://www.usapa.army.mil/pdffiles/r25_50.pdf) is here. The other branches have something similar. SSG Schwartz ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-have-to-capitalize-soldier-and-sailor-now/433406/11 "2008-01-14T03:45:56Z")
I wonder if maybe the Army and the Navy got sore because the Marines always got to capitalize members of their own service? ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-have-to-capitalize-soldier-and-sailor-now/433406/12 "2008-01-14T04:03:36Z")
The obvious next question is: how does the DoD address their beggar-men and thieves? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-have-to-capitalize-soldier-and-sailor-now/433406/13 "2008-01-14T06:10:56Z")
For arbitrary capitalization of nouns, you can’t beat [Ken Smith Basses.](http://www.kensmithbasses.com/doublebasses/) > [@](#): > > There are some Prescott features on this Bass like the long narrow carved Scroll and the construction of the Back and Ribs. The Back which only appears to be 1/4" in thickness is actually about 5/8" in thickness. The Ribs are inlaid into the Back as a “Rabbet Joint” like you would see in Cabinet Making. The Back is New England White Pine, which has greater strength due to the extra thickness with this type of construction. The internal Rib linings cover up the joint work of the Back. The tone of this Bass is unique. Although it has great clarity in all registers it also possesses depth and smoothness similar to many old Italian Basses I have played. I asked Ken why he capitalizes this way, and he claimed that it was to grab the reader’s attention. It worked, I guess. (His site is great, by the way.) ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-have-to-capitalize-soldier-and-sailor-now/433406/14 "2008-01-14T13:53:11Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] I wonder if maybe the Army and the Navy got sore because the Marines always got to capitalize members of their own service? [/QUOTE] I would wag that is it more like not to show disrespect to non-marine forces as in something like this: The captives were rescued by joint effort of one soldier one Marine and one sailor. By capitalizing just ‘Marine’ it does seem to emphasize that branch over the others. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-have-to-capitalize-soldier-and-sailor-now/433406/15 "2008-01-14T14:20:02Z")
Whether or not it is in the official rules regarding Army correspondence there has always been way too much capitalization in the Army. It has ruined the way I write. I can’t help myself sometimes. Being in the Army has caused me to capitalize stupidly and being a cop has made me incapable of handwriting in anything but capital letters or using pronouns. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-have-to-capitalize-soldier-and-sailor-now/433406/16 "2008-01-14T14:55:46Z")
[QUOTE=kanicbird] I would wag that is it more like not to show disrespect to non-marine forces as in something like this: The captives were rescued by joint effort of one soldier one Marine and one sailor. By capitalizing just ‘Marine’ it does seem to emphasize that branch over the others. [/QUOTE] But “marine” is also a valid common noun. One is not obligated to capitalize it. [QUOTE=Loach] being a cop has made me incapable of … using pronouns. [/QUOTE] Really? So you talk like Joe Friday or something? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-have-to-capitalize-soldier-and-sailor-now/433406/17 "2008-01-14T21:30:56Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] Really? So you talk like Joe Friday or something? 🙂 [/QUOTE] Nope. I just write like Detective Friday. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-have-to-capitalize-soldier-and-sailor-now/433406/18 "2008-01-14T22:41:12Z")
[QUOTE=IntelSoldier] The gov’t capitalizes like crazy. Just today I encountered the trivia question “How does one carry out Sergeant’s Duties?” [/QUOTE] I guess I would use a shovel, but first I would like to know why Sergeant can’t carry out his own damn duties. Was he born in a barn?? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2008, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-have-to-capitalize-soldier-and-sailor-now/433406/19 "2008-01-14T23:35:30Z")
Get Yer Own Damn Latrine, Sergeant. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2008, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-have-to-capitalize-soldier-and-sailor-now/433406/20 "2008-01-15T00:13:24Z")
I don’t recall it ever being different. When I was in the Air Force, I was an Airman, not an airman. We were all soldiers in the army of our nation (the collective branches), but Soldiers are in the Army. [QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] I understand capitalizing Marine to refer to an individual warrior; that’s the name of his or her branch, after all. But soldier and sailor are time-honored terms just as is. They’re not members of the U.S. Soldier Service or the U.S. Sailor Department. [/QUOTE] You understand capitalizing Marine when referring to an individual because that also happens to be the name of the Branch? How is that relevant? Why shouldn’t you have the same objection and believe members of the Marines are marines? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-really-have-to-capitalize-soldier-and-sailor-now/433406.md?page=2)