Where did the word GI come from?

GI has been the common designation for the American fighting man--or woman. However, the GI was born early in the century not as a soldier but as a trash can. Originally the initials GI formed an abbreviation that stood for the material from which a trash can was made, galvanized iron, and its source, government issue. I can still recall my father calling the trash can a GI Can.

Answer

GI is an abbreviation for Government Issue. The Army labeled everything from boots, to guns to tanks as government issue. So naturally, the soldier adopted that as a name for himself.

Where or When was it derived?

I thought this was a WW2 term. However, I'm reading a book published soon after WW1 that has poems, jokes and highlights of their service during WW1 and they use the term "GI", but I'm not sure what it meant at that time.

First answer by Gouch53. Last edit by Custermen. Contributor trust: 355 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 6 [recommend question]