Dogface (military)

For other uses, see Dogface.

"Dogfaces" of the 172nd Infantry Regiment patrolling New Georgia, 1943

Dogface is a nickname for a United States Army soldier, especially an enlisted infantryman. ^{[1] [2]} The term gained widespread use during World War II. ^{[3] [4]}

History

The term "dogface" to describe an American soldier appeared in print at least as early as 1935. ^{[5] [6] [7]} Contemporaneous newspapers accounted for the nickname by explaining that soldiers "wear dog-tags, sleep in pup tents, and are always growling about something" and "the army is a dog's life...and when they want us, they whistle for us." ^{[8] [9]} Phillip Levesque, a veteran of the U.S. 89th Infantry Division in World War II, wrote that "we were filthy, cold and wet as a duck hunting dog and we were ordered around sternly and loudly like a half-trained dog." ^[10]

During World War II, the nickname came to be seen as a self-appointed term of endearment for soldiers, ^[11] but as an insult if used by others, such as United States Marine Corps personnel. ^{[7] [12] [13] [14]}

In media

Up Front, a cartoon drawn by Bill Mauldin that featured everyday infantrymen Willie and Joe, helped popularize the term "dogface." ^[15] The cartoon ran from 1940 to 1943 in the 45th Division News, and in Stars and Stripes until 1948. ^[16]

In 1942, Bert Gold and Ken Hart, two members of the United States Army Air Forces, published a song called "The Dogface Soldier," which one newspaper called an "authentic foxhole folksong." ^[17] The song became the theme of the 3rd Infantry Division and was featured in the 1955 film To Hell and Back starring Audie Murphy, who served in the 3rd Division. ^[18] A recording of the song by Russ Morgan, taken from the film, became a No. 30 pop hit in the U.S. the same year. ^[19]

See also

• Doughboy
• G.I.
• Devil Dog

References

1. Ruane, Michael E. (December 21, 2021). "Another Side of the 'Greatest Generation'". The Santa Fe New Mexican . p. B4.
2. Sexton, Donald J. (2009). The Western European and Mediterranean Theaters in World War II. New York: Routledge. p. 432. ISBN   978-0-415-95769-4.
3. Mitgang, Herbert (2004). Newsmen in Khaki: Tales of a World War II Soldier Correspondent. Lanham, Maryland: Taylor Trade Publishing. p. 100. ISBN   1-58979-094-4.
4. Siegel, Alice; McLoone, Margo (1992). The Information Please Kids' Almanac!. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 300. ISBN   0-395-64737-1.
5. Elting, John R.; Cragg, Dan; Deal, Ernest L. (1984). A Dictionary of Soldier Talk. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 86. ISBN   0-684-17862-1 . Retrieved May 17, 2025.
6. Mickel, Merlin (July 21, 1935). "Army's a Trade, Reporter Finds". The Des Moines Register . p. 11. Soldier—dogface.
7. "Service Humor". Army Navy Journal . November 9, 1935. p. 8.
8. "What 'Outfit' Means". The Bangor Daily News . November 16, 1940. p. 10.
9. "Yanks from the Camps". The Gazette . Cedar Rapids, Iowa. February 20, 1944. p. 8.
10. Leveque, Phillip. "ASTP: Alchemy for a Foxhol—A Salute to the ASTP Men". 89th Infantry Division of World War II. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
11. "If You Know English Then Try Your Hand at Telling the Boys What a 'Kiwi' and a 'Dodo' Do in the Army". The Albuquerque Tribune . September 12, 1941. p. 4. Dogface—an enlisted man's name for himself, an insult if used by others.
12. Middleton, Drew (October 2, 1941). "U.S. Armed Forces Land in Iceland". The Knoxville Journal . The Associated Press. p. 11. ...the American Marines—who call the soldiers 'dogfaces' and bark at them when they go to post...
13. Buchwald, Art (February 17, 1962). "Marines Stupid? Gung Ho Ho Ho!". Los Angeles Times . p. 11. What do you call the enemy?" "Dogfaces.
14. Leckie, Robert (2010). Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific. New York: Bantam Books. p. 21. ISBN   978-0-553-59331-0. I was a marine...I would speak disparagingly of soldiers as 'dog-faces'...
15. Asahina, Robert (2006). Just Americans: How Japanese Americans Won a War at Home and Abroad. New York: Gotham. p. 124–125. ISBN   1-592-40198-8.
16. Holtz, Allan (2012). American Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide. Ann Arbor, Michigan: The University of Michigan Press. p. 401. ISBN   978-0-4721-1756-7.
17. "The Third Division's Song". The Cincinnati Post . July 22, 1949. p. 17.
18. Jeffers, H. Paul (2008). Command of Honor: General Lucian Truscott's Path to Victory in World War II. New York: NAL Caliber. p. 147. ISBN   978-0-451-22402-6.
19. Whitburn, Joel (2010). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (9 ed.). New York: Billboard Books. p. 454. ISBN   978-0-8230-8554-5.