What is National Hug A G.i. Day?
National Hug a G.I. Day is the only day on the calendar that is not a military command.
To give your servicemen and women a hug, gather around your servicemen and women. It's simply a way to express your love. Be sure to thank both past and present G.I.s with either a pat on the back or a hearty handshake. Although G.I.s refer to Army troops, the day includes all those who have served in the military. So, too, adore those Jarheads, Wingnuts, Squids, and Coasties!
Today the word G.I. is used to describe those who serve in the Armed Forces of the United States of America's Armed Forces. How that came to be is a little less military protocol and more the American story.
G.I. seems to have been a notation used in supply records for galvanized iron at the turn of the twentieth century. It was later used for German artillery shells made from galvanized iron during World War I.
Soldiers began interpreting the initials as "Government Issue" or "General Issue" during the conflict. By the time World War II came around, it was beginning to gain importance as the generic enlisted man.
