Who Are You Calling 'Devil Dog'?

Once used with pride, the Marines moniker "Devil Dog" now has a nasty bite to it, the Marine Corps Times reports. Young Marines recoil at the term that troops earned by fighting off Germans in a bloody World War I battle. They say it reminds them of angry COs: "It's a preface to getting your ass chewed," one Marine major said.

“I think the backlash against ‘Devil Dog’ does begin with the leadership," one Marine blogged. Some officers "use the following phrase, ‘HEY, DEVIL DOG!’ to initiate a ‘correction’ when we don’t know exactly who the Marine may be. Thusly, hearing the phrase Devil Dog creates a negative Pavlovian response in Marines." (More Marine stories.)