Proper Grammar for Respect Nouns

Sailor - Soldier - Marine - Airman

July 12th, 2008

May 19, 1994 the Secretary of the Navy John H. Dalton decreed the word Sailor when used in Naval correspondence and referring to Sailors of the U.S. Navy - Sailor will be capitalized. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker in October 2003 and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper in May 2004 decreed the same for the words Soldier and Airman respectively. Marine (when referring to a person in the Marine Corps) is a proper noun and will always be capitalized.

Sailor, Soldier and Airman are also considered proper nouns in this blog (I hope in your blog too). I think when you are referring to them in any article, blog, correspondence, print and print media those words should be capitalized - if you’re afraid some English teacher may come and swat your knuckles or you’re concerned the grammar police may attempt to arrest you, tell them these words are proper “respect” nouns and they need to follow the lead of the respective military service heads and update their grammar manuals.

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3 Comments »

  • Ha! This is one rich article.

    Please, ol’ boy, enlighten me…what’s a “respect” noun? Not every sailor, solider, marine, airman, etc. deserves your respect just because of their chosen profession. Need I remind you that respect must be EARNED before it is rendered?

    “Tell them [English teachers] they need to follow the lead of their respective military service heads and update their grammar manuals”

    Oh, man. Please tell me you aren’t serious about this? Military leaders are now in the business of setting trends in proper English? That notion is as laughable as it is absurd. I sincerely hope you are joking, but something tells me you’re dead serious…

    Just in case you are joking, lemme be the first to howl: Bwaahhahahahahaha!!!

    Comment by Floyd Gondolli — July 13, 2008 @ 9:33 am

  • The term “Family Member” was also declared a proper noun, when it is refering to a military family member.

    Floyd,
    The reason we use “respect” nouns is not to determine the respect of an individual, but the respect of the service. However, these are not grammar guidelines but “style” guidelines. There are many style books out there. Journalists use the AP Style book, while academicians usually use the MLB or Chicago Style books. The military has their own style book, which is why you see a big difference between military writing regarding ranks compared to civilian journalists.

    The use of Sailor, Airman, Guardsman, Marine, Soldier as a proper noun instead of a common noun is just one more example of this style difference. It creates a significant, but subtle, change in how we are addressing the group of people. There is nothing wrong with with showing our respect to those individuals (as a collective) by offering them a captial letter.

    The Podcast Patriot (www.podcastpatriot.com)

    Comment by Joshua Hudson (2 comments.) — July 15, 2008 @ 11:11 am

  • The term “Marine” has been a proper noun for some time, much to the consternation of many counterparts.

    Personally, I think if you strap on the uniform, you should be exempt from taxes.

    But I am an extreme patriot.

    Comment by sofwildbill (1 comments.) — July 22, 2008 @ 1:23 pm

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