When words such as army, navy, sergeant, corporal are used alone, they are not
considered proper nouns, therefore are not capitalized. Examples follow:
-I joined the navy and saw the world.
-The corporal loaded the machine onto the front seat of the lorry and drove off without
looking back.
-Our battalion saw action on the Laotian border.
-Darren announced, "Today I actually saw the general smile at someone in his office! What
next!"
When military titles are used as part of a proper noun, they are capitalized--usually. See
the examples below:
-General John C. David
-Admiral Robert S. Spelling
-Warrant Officer Charles D. Barrett
-Chief Petty Officer Reginald E. Deveres
|
