“For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall.” – Psalm 18:29

Time to pick on an English word, or rather, its usage. In all of my learning, troop refers to a group of individuals assembled for a purpose or action. I once belonged to a Boy Scout troop. It can also be used of an informal multitude of persons, such as, “While the bell was still ringing, a troop of children poured out of the classroom.”

In military parlance, a troop is “an armored cavalry or cavalry unit consisting of two or more platoons and a headquarters group” [1], or “A unit of cavalry, armored vehicles, or artillery in a European army, corresponding to a platoon in the U.S. Army.” [2] However, it seems to me that, since the onset of military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, media now use “troop” now refers to a single soldier. For example, “U.S. offers $200,000 in search for lost troops”, and “Baghdad ‘Surge’ Moves Forward as Search for Missing Troops Continues.”

Is this the result of the U.S Army’s “An Army of One” advertising campaign, a device of anti-war media outlets to exaggerate losses, or something less sinister (but more insidious) like pure carelessness with the English language? Language history decries that if a word comes to mean nothing in particular, then it means nothing at all.

Whether we call them soldiers, troops, or simply heroes, I am thankful for those who risk their own lives to protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for others. May God bless them.

[1] “troop.” Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 18 May. 2007. .
[2] “troop.” The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 18 May. 2007. .