Israeli soldiers in April 2002
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Occupation | |
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Occupation type
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Profession |
Activity sectors
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Military |
Description | |
Competencies |
Physical Stamina Mindset |
Related jobs
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Commando Mercenary |
A soldier is one who fights as part of an organised, land-based armed force. A soldier can be an enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer.
The word soldier derives from 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 the Byzantine Empire.
In most armed forces use of the word 'soldier' has taken on a more general meaning due to the increasing specialization of military occupations that require different areas of knowledge and skill-sets. As a result, 'soldiers' are referred to by names or ranks which 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, artilleryman, marine, paratrooper, grenadier, , sniper, engineer, sapper, craftsman, signaller, medic, or a gunner.