Minor Soldiers Research Articles

Imperial Nationalism of Minority Soldiers. Italian-Speaking Tyroleans and Irishmen in the First World War

In the First World War, national minorities fought on all sides. How did these soldiers negotiate their identity as a national minority with their loyalty to and identification with the state for which they fought in the severest war of nations in modern times until then? This paper explores the complex landscape of this question by comparing Irish soldiers in the British Army and Italian-speaking Tyrolean soldiers in the Habsburg forces. Using a sample of war diaries from combatants on both sides and drawing on the more recently upcoming literature on minorities in the First World War, perceptions of these groups about their nationality are examined. The analysis will show how combatants were integrated into a network of loyal relationships to the respective empire through factors such as culture, language and emotions. This is made productive through the analytical category of imperial nationalism. The article emphasises the importance of regiments bridging national identity and imperial loyalty. Italy’s entry into the war (1915) and the Easter Rising (1916) were critical events for soldiers of each side regarding their national self-image. The soldiers’ reactions show the broad spectrum of individual national identity, ranging from increased identification with the Empire to disintegration. Subsequently, both groups increasingly faced discrimination, to which they reacted differently. While the Italian-speaking Tyroleans tended to gradually distance themselves from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Irish soldiers mostly maintained their imperial loyalty. These different results illustrate the complex interplay of allegiance, identity and nationality of minority soldiers and the impact of changing circumstances on these factors during the Great War.

New record of Dolichorhinotermes lanciarius Engel & Krishna, 2007 (Blattodea, Rhinotermitidae) from Colombia

Dolichorhinotermes Snyder & Emerson, 1949, a genus of Neotropical distribution, includes seven living termite species characterized by the presence of distinct major and minor soldiers. In Colombia, to date, only Dolichorhinotermes longilabius (Emerson, 1924) has been recorded in the Colombian Amazon Basin. A new distribution record of Dolichorhinotermes lanciarius Engel & Krishna, 2007 (Rhinotermitidae, Rhinotermitidae) is reported from an Andean region of the Department of Caldas, Colombia, where it was found at an altitude of 2100 m.

Decolonizing the British Army: a preliminary response

Abstract Following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on 25 May 2020, anti-racist protests occurred across America and Europe. As a result, public institutions in the UK have begun to re-examine their cultures and practices to ensure not only that they are non-discriminatory, but also that they are actively anti-racist. The Army will not be immune to this process. Indeed, senior commanders including the Chief of the Defence Staff have already embraced the ‘decolonizing’ programme. Since 2000, the Army has incorporated significant numbers of Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) soldiers; just over 10 per cent of the Army is now BAME. This article examines the integration of minority soldiers over the last two decades in order to assess the prospects of ‘de-colonization’ in the Army today. Despite the apparent success of the Army's integration policy, this article identifies three obstacles which still obstruct minority integration and are likely to impede de-colonization. Firstly, the majority of the Army's BAME soldiers are not British citizens, but foreign and Commonwealth nationals. Secondly, the young age of the majority of British soldiers generates interactional dynamics in barracks and training which often accidentally excludes foreign minority soldiers. Thirdly, the military ideal of the British Army remains understandably Anglo-Saxon. This article considers the tensions inherent in the Army's multicultural project and lays out suggestions about how they might be overcome to pursue a de-colonizing agenda.

First record of Colobopsis truncata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Moldova region of Romania

Colobopsis truncata is a common Mediterranean species distributed mostly in southern and central Europe. In Romania, the species is expected to be widely distributed, but data are scarce. Both minor workers and soldiers of the species were collected in different sites during field observations in the spring of 2020. Herein we report the first record of Colobopsis truncata from Moldova and new records for southern Romania.

Between duty, right and compulsion – the Danish minority in the German army, 1914–1918

ABSTRACT The following article explores the collective identifications (or self-perceptions) among members of the Danish-speaking minority in the Imperial German Army during the First World War, including views on German conscription and military service. Danish historians have traditionally portrayed the minority as soldiers who only served with reluctance, hoping for German defeat in the war and a ‘reunification’ between their home-region, North Schleswig, and the State of Denmark. However, the vast majority of Danish-speakers were well integrated in the German army and served as reliable soldiers throughout the course of the war. At first glance, this seems to constitute a contradiction, but this article will illustrate how members of the Danish minority, in order to serve as loyal soldiers, on the one hand reconciled ideas of both Danish and regional affiliation, as well as ancestral loyalty and civic rights, with feelings of coercion, discrimination and German enmity on the other. Furthermore, feelings of obligation, responsibility and civic duty was also connected with German military service. It will be argued that the key to understand the sometimes-contradictory self-perceptions of the Danish minority soldiers lays in how many-sided understandings of community encased or negotiated feelings of reluctance. If the war experiences of the Danish-speaking minority are viewed in a purely national perspective, it become difficult to explain the various forms of self-perception present in the source material: For instance, German military service could be justified as a way to secure Danish interests regionally within the German state, and a way to improve civic rights for the minority group. In this way, the self-perceptions of a minority soldiers could be Danish in terms of national affiliation, but to a high degree collective ‘identity’ also had the regional community at its centre.

Parasitism of Soldiers of the Termite, Macrotermes gilvus (Hagen), by the Scuttle Fly, Megaselia scalaris (Loew) (Diptera: Phoridae).

Termites of the genus Macrotermes (Termitidae: Macrotermitinae) are serious agricultural and structural pests, which also play vital roles in ecosystem functioning, and are crucial for the maintenance of tropical biodiversity. They are widely distributed, mainly in Southeast Asian countries; however, the parasitism of termites has been little researched. This research was conducted to identify and study the ecology of the parasitoids of termites at Kasetsart University, Kamphaeng Saen Campus, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. Macrotermes gilvus (Hagen) soldier termites were collected from 25 mounds. In four of the 25 mounds, scuttle fly larvae were found inside the bodies of the soldier termites, and adult flies were found in all of the mounds. Some of the larvae successfully developed to pupae under laboratory conditions. The percentages of parasitized major soldier termites collected from the four mounds were 43.79%, 47.43%, 0.86%, and 3.49%, respectively, and the percentages of parasitized minor soldier termites were 0.64%, 0.00%, 0.21%, and 0.00%, respectively. Larvae, pupae, and adult flies were identified using both morphological and molecular identifications. Molecular identification used the partial nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene. The results of both identification methods identified the parasitic Diptera as the scuttle fly, Megaselia scalaris (Loew) (Diptera: Phoridae). The phylogenetic analysis of the 23 scuttle fly samples (11 larvae, 7 pupae, and 5 adults) classified them into two clades: (1) Those closely related to a previous report in India; (2) those related to M. scalaris found in Asia and Africa. This is the first discovery of M. scalaris in M. gilvus. Further investgation into termite parasitism by M. scalaris and its possible use in the biological control of termites is needed.

Assessing the Well-being of Sexual Minority Soldiers at a Military Academic Institution.

The goal of the present study was to characterize behavioral health rates, behavioral health care utilization, loneliness, and perceived prejudice and support among sexual minority soldiers. Cross-sectional survey data were obtained from 640 active-duty U.S. soldiers enrolled in an academic training institute who provided information on their sexual orientation. Survey topics included demographics, behavioral health, behavioral health care utilization, and mitigating factors (eg, perceived prejudice, perceived support, and loneliness). Chi-square analyses were utilized to determine any differences between groups for behavioral health rates and behavioral health care utilization. Robust regression was used for analysis of self-reported loneliness. A higher proportion of lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB) soldiers than heterosexual soldiers screened positive for anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidality. No between-group differences in behavioral health care utilization were found; however, a higher proportion of LGB soldiers sought help from military family life counselors. No between-group differences for loneliness were found. Finally, perceived prejudice was higher for LGB soldiers and perceived support was lower. Organizational barriers, such as perceived prejudice and lack of support, appear to still exist for sexual minority soldiers. Increasing organizational support and implementing training and education for health care providers in order to better support the LGB soldier community may mitigate these barriers.

A new species of Acorhinotermes Emerson, 1949 (Blattodea, Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae) from Colombia, with a key to Neotropical Rhinotermitinae species based on minor soldiers.

Acorhinotermes Emerson, 1949 is the only Neotropical Rhinotermitine genus with no major soldier. Herein Acorhinotermes claritae Castro & Scheffrahn, sp. nov. is described based on minor soldiers and an alate nymph collected in a secondary rain forest in the Colombian Amazon. The minor soldier of A. claritae Castro & Scheffrahn, sp. nov. has longer mandibular points and it is comparatively smaller than A. subfusciceps. An illustrated key to the minor soldiers of the Neotropical species of Rhinotermitinae is presented.

Taxonomic features and comparisons of the gut microbiome from two edible fungus-farming termites (Macrotermes falciger; M. natalensis) harvested in the Vhembe district of Limpopo, South Africa

BackgroundTermites are an important food resource for many human populations around the world, and are a good supply of nutrients. The fungus-farming ‘higher’ termite members of Macrotermitinae are also consumed by modern great apes and are implicated as critical dietary resources for early hominins. While the chemical nutritional composition of edible termites is well known, their microbiomes are unexplored in the context of human health. Here we sequenced the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene of gut microbiota extracted from the whole intestinal tract of two Macrotermes sp. soldiers collected from the Limpopo region of South Africa.ResultsMajor and minor soldier subcastes of M. falciger exhibit consistent differences in taxonomic representation, and are variable in microbial presence and abundance patterns when compared to another edible but less preferred species, M. natalensis. Subcaste differences include alternate patterns in sulfate-reducing bacteria and methanogenic Euryarchaeota abundance, and differences in abundance between Alistipes and Ruminococcaceae. M. falciger minor soldiers and M. natalensis soldiers have similar microbial profiles, likely from close proximity to the termite worker castes, particularly during foraging and fungus garden cultivation. Compared with previously published termite and cockroach gut microbiome data, the taxonomic representation was generally split between termites that directly digest lignocellulose and humic substrates and those that consume a more distilled form of nutrition as with the omnivorous cockroaches and fungus-farming termites. Lastly, to determine if edible termites may point to a shared reservoir for rare bacterial taxa found in the gut microbiome of humans, we focused on the genus Treponema. The majority of Treponema sequences from edible termite gut microbiota most closely relate to species recovered from other termites or from environmental samples, except for one novel OTU strain, which clustered separately with Treponema found in hunter-gatherer human groups.ConclusionsMacrotermes consumed by humans display special gut microbial arrangements that are atypical for a lignocellulose digesting invertebrate, but are instead suited to the simplified nutrition in the fungus-farmer diet. Our work brings to light the particular termite microbiome features that should be explored further as avenues in human health, agricultural sustainability, and evolutionary research.

Trust, ethnic diversity, and personal contact: A field experiment

We study how close personal contact with minorities affects in-group and out-group trust in a field experiment in the armed forces. Soldiers are randomly assigned to rooms with or without ethnic minorities. At the end of the recruit period, we measure trust by using a trust game. Results indicate that close personal contact with minorities increases trust towards a generic immigrant. We replicate the result that individuals coming from more ethnically diverse areas trust minorities less, but random assignment to interact with minority soldiers removes this negative correlation. We conclude that social integration involving personal contact can reduce negative effects of ethnic diversity on trust.

The Role of National Minorities in the Polish Armed Forces During the September 1939 Campaign

The article covers the issues of participation in the September 1939 campaign of representatives of national minorities who served at that time in the Polish Army. Also made an attempt to unbiased consideration of the problem. The authors paid attention to the issue of the number of members of national minorities in the Polish Army on the eve of the Second World War, as well as analyzed the attitude of this category of soldiers to fulfilling their military duty, in particular, based on the memoirs of participants in the events of that time. Also raised is the issue of cases of desertion from Polish armed forces members of national minorities during the September campaign. Unfortunately, the exact number of national minority soldiers who participated in the September 1939 campaign is very difficult to determine, since many documents from the period of the September campaign were destroyed, while during the war a part of the them went to the German and Soviet archives, where most of them were lost. On the basis of preserved materials, one can only say that the attitude of representatives of national minorities – Ukrainians, Belarusians, Germans or Jews, dressed in Polish forms in September 1939 – is somewhat different. Often, they selflessly fought, but there were cases of desertion, however, for the sake of justice, it should be noted that the practice of desertion in the early days of the war was also inherent in representatives of Polish nationality. On the basis of the material under study, have made sufficiently substantiated generalizations and conclusions regarding key aspects related to the participation of representatives of national minorities who served in the Polish Army in the September 1939 campaign. It is irrefutable that from the very first days of the war ordinary soldiers who came from national minorities, as well as Ukrainian contract officers began to defend the Polish state, and until the end continued to bravely and courageously fight the enemy, often at the cost of their own lives.

Trust, Ethnic Diversity, and Personal Contact: A Field Experiment

We study how close personal contact with minorities affects in-group and out-group trust in a field experiment in the armed forces. Soldiers are randomly assigned to rooms with or without ethnic minorities. At the end of the recruit period, we measure trust by using a trust game. Results indicate that close personal contact with minorities increases trust towards a generic immigrant. We replicate the result that individuals coming from more ethnically diverse areas trust minorities less, but random assignment to interact with minority soldiers removes this negative correlation. We conclude that social integration involving personal contact can reduce negative effects of ethnic diversity on trust.

Minority representation, tokenism, and well-being in army units

ABSTRACTRacial and ethnic diversity is increasing in the US Army and women are moving into more combat roles. This puts minority soldiers at risk for being underrepresented in their work units. Tokenism theory predicts that when a work group has less than 15% representation in a social group, the numerically underrepresented minority (i.e., token) members are subject to three disadvantages: higher visibility, informal isolation, and role encapsulation. In the Army, where many companies contain small numbers of women and racial minorities, some soldiers may face additional stressors and constraints. We explored psychosocial, organizational, and health outcomes of all identifiable token women (N = 4,425) and Black soldiers (N = 5,040). Tokens were remarkably similar to non-tokens and majority soldiers on outcomes such as coping skills, adaptability, organizational trust, sleep, substance use, and pain. The intersection of token status in terms of race and gender was not related to any appreciable differences. One potential explanation is the shared Army culture that emphasizes group unity and the importance of the mission above individual characteristics and goals. The Army depends on cohesion, organizational identification, and commitment to the group in order to reduce stress and anxiety, and to maximize combat performance. For soldiers who have internalized this culture, it could be easier to see past individual differences such as gender and race and identify others in the unit as fellow soldiers primarily.

Limited size-related variation in behavioral performance among workers of the exceptionally polymorphic ant Pheidole rhea

Colony fitness is thought to be enhanced through task specialization by physical castes in social insect species that have evolved polymorphic workers. Using the exceptionally polymorphic ant Pheidole rhea as a model, we explored the relationship of worker size and behavior with respect to division of labor by morphologically variable subcastes, hypothesizing that the behavior of minor workers, soldiers, and supersoldiers would align with their social roles. We assayed the ability of different-size workers to detect trail pheromone, generate nest-search locomotion patterns, and recognize non-nestmates and respond with aggressive defense. Our analyses revealed that the largest size class of workers, supersoldiers, can detect trail pheromone at concentrations lower than those eliciting responses from either minors or soldiers. However, there were no size-related differences in locomotion patterns associated with nest-search behavior in a featureless arena, nor was there worker variation in responses to a non-nestmate conspecific. Although the striking polymorphism and allometry of workers suggest role divergence and division of labor in P. rhea, similarity in responses to stimuli associated with extranidal task performance may reflect the conservation of behavioral programs across strongly polymorphic workers.

Intra-colonial Population of <i>Macrotermes bellicosus</i> (Smeathman) [Isoptera: Termitidae] in Sokoto, Semi-Arid Zone of North-Western Nigeria

The intra- colonial population of individuals within the mounds of mound- building termite, Macrotermes bellicosus (Smeathman) occurring in some selected Local Government Areas of Sokoto State were studied. A total of 72 cone shaped mounds were selected based on their heights. Populationswere estimated by randomly collecting and counting core samples from the mounds using a small bucket as the mounds were being excavated. At the end of the excavation, the total sand removed from the mound was crushed and measured using the same bucket. Total number of termites from a mound was extrapolated from the above estimates. Results indicate the presence of five different castes; reproductives, workers, minor and major soldiers and nymphs. The population of individuals per moundapart from the reproductives, ranged between 14158.00 and 24777.67 with an average of 18,795.49 termites per mound. The nymphs were the largest (5,942.60) closely followed by the workers (5,547.70), while the minor soldiers are the least with 3,279.38. Significant difference (p<0.05) occurred between minor soldiers and nymphs, major soldiers and nymphs, minor soldiers and workers and minor soldiers and nymphs in some of the studied areas. The present study show M. bellicosus to have high population within individual mounds enough to cause damage if ignored. Being a pestiferous species that could promote erosion, appropriate control strategies are required for its control.Key words: Macrotermes bellicosus, Mounds- building termites, intra-colonial Population, Mounds, Castes.

The Role of the Harvester Termite,Trinervitermes trinervoides(Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae), in a Semi-Arid Grassland Ecosystem in South Africa: Nest Populations and Caste Composition

Nest populations or colonies of the harvester termite, Trinervitermes trinervoides (Sjostedt) (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae), which commonly occurs in the semi-arid grasslands of southern Africa, were assessed. The entire contents of nests, mounds and subterranean sections were excavated following fumigation. Termites were extracted by flotation from volumetric sub-samples of the nest material and counted. Nest populations were found to be considerably larger than those of other members of the genus. Sterile adult populations varied from 9000 in small mounds (height = 12 cm) to 889 000 in large mounds (height = 59 cm). Workers, major and minor soldiers make up 75%, 9% and 16%, respectively, of the total adult sterile population. The proportion of soldiers decreased with increasing colony size, constituting 51% of populations of the smallest nest and only 16% of a large nest. This decrease in total soldier proportions in larger nests reflected a decrease in the proportion of minor soldiers. Ratios of worke...

Vietnam and the West: New Approaches (review)

Reviewed by: Vietnam and the West: New Approaches Shelton Woods Vietnam and the West: New Approaches. Edited by Wynn Wilcox. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University, Southeast Asia Program Publications, 2010. 224 pp. $46.95 (cloth); $23.95 (paper). "Scholars and journalists have published countless volumes on the actions of Western powers in Vietnam." This first sentence on the first page of Vietnam and the West: New Approaches acknowledges the vast material on the subject. Wynn Wilcox, the volume's editor, notes in the introduction that these essays represent a fresh approach to a well-worn subject. For the most part, however, the essays in Vietnam and the West do not break new ground. Some of the essays are quite weak in scholarship, analysis, and relevance to the book's thesis. [End Page 197] Vietnam and the West is a compilation of papers presented at a December 2005 conference at Western Connecticut State University. Contributors include professors of history, anthropology, and political science, as well as independent scholars. So there is a definite multidisciplinary approach to the subject of the West's interaction with Vietnam. The book is divided into three sections: "Precolonial Encounters (to 1862)," "French and American Encounters (1862-1975)," and "Recent Encounters (1975-Present)." As is the case in most books composed of a conference's proceedings, the quality of scholarship varies, and some of the essays seem forced into trying to fit the volume's subject. Some of the papers encompass more than thirty pages, whereas others are but a dozen pages in length. The three sections also widely differ in quality and relevance. So what is the new approach? After scores of volumes on the French and American experiences in Vietnam, does this volume represent something new? No, not really. Wilcox claims that the essays aim to "get beyond the idea that Vietnamese history can or should be viewed as 'autonomous'" and "to revise the chronologies associated with the Vietnam/West relationship" by focusing on individuals and their impact on Vietnam-West relations (p. 3). But there are other authors who have followed similar approaches to West-Vietnam relations. Some of these writers include Neil Jamieson, Paul Mus, and Oscar Chapuis, to name just a few. The first section of the book, "Precolonial Encounters (to 1862)," is by far the strongest portion of the work. Three essays make up this segment and touch on the disparate topics of: Christian Nôm literature; Jean Marie Despiau, the French doctor in the Nguyen imperial palace; and Dang Duc Tuan, the Vietnamese Catholic priest whose faith never clouded his nationalism. In all three essays the book's thesis shines through: the Vietnamese did not change their culture to imitate Western modernity; rather, the mutual give and take between Vietnamese and Westerners produced a localized-adopted norm that fit the indigenous culture. As Professor Wilcox writes, "these essays avoid the Eurocentric assumptions about the 'Vietnamese response' or 'Vietnamese modernization' heuristics, while still retaining a concern for the centrality of indigenous identities and culture" (p. 16). Squeezed between the book's strong opening and weak final segments is the mediocre section "French and American Encounters (1862-1975)." Its four essays discuss women in the Vietnamese resistance, propaganda directed toward colonial minority soldiers, South Vietnam's trade unions, and the elusive Holy Grail of a political third option (neither Communist nor an America-aligned government) [End Page 198] that never emerged during the war. The strength of these essays is in how the authors synthesize existing material on their topics. In that sense, they are not breaking any new ground; even in their analyses one comes away more convinced that there is nothing new under the sun. The final section, "Recent Encounters (1975-Present)," consists of two brief essays that seem out of place with the book's theme; the final essay, "Strategic Waters, Tragic Waters: Water Privatization in Vietnam," has little to do with the West in Vietnam. The other essay, "Agent Orange, Vietnam, and the United States: Blurring the Boundaries," is based on interviews with one family whose child was identified as "likely to have been affected by Agent Orange" (p. 177). To base an entire paper (and subsequently a...

Exploratory and recruitment phases in soldier-mediated foraging activities in the termite,Coptotermes intermediusSilvestri (Rhinotermitidae: Coptotermitinae)

Coptotermes intermedius is a damp-wood subterranean termite, which attacks timber and other woody materials with heavy losses in the southern part of Nigeria. The process leading to search for wood and eventual damage was investigated, with focus on how this search is initiated and by which of the termite castes. Results showed that minor soldiers initiate the exploratory phase of search, while the workers are involved in the eventual recruitment process. Under appropriate soldier-worker caste ratio or percentages, exploratory activities in C. intermedius may be regulated.

Developmental Stages and Castes of Two Sympatric Subterranean Termites Macrotermes gilvus and Macrotermes carbonarius (Blattodea: Termitidae)

Abstract The developmental stages and castes of two sympatric subterranean termites, Macro-termes gilvus (Hagen) and Macrotermes carbonarius (Hagen) (Blattodea: Termitidae) were studied and biometric descriptors of each caste were developed for the identification of both species. Biometric descriptors revealed five well-defined groups of larval castes. After sex determination, three larval instars were detected in the development of minor and major worker castes. The first larval instars consist of both males and females which are homogenous in size. Size sexual dimorphism, in which females are smaller than males, occurs in the second larval instars, third larval instars, and worker castes. Minor and major soldiers are female sterile castes. Pictorial evidence of the fourth larval instar of M. carbonarius is presented herein; the individuals closely resemble minor workers but are poorly pigmented and have a distended abdomen, future presoldier-like mandibles, and a meso- and metanotum. In reproductive caste development, nymphs (derived from the first larval instars) undergo five moults from first to fifth instars before becoming winged termites.

Energetics and development of incipient colonies of the harvester termite, Trinervitermes trinervoides (Sjöstedt) (Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae)

Energy dynamics within incipient colonies of the southern African mound dwelling harvester termite Trinervitermes trinervoides (Sjostedt) (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae) were investigated. Development of incipient colonies established from field collected alates and changes in energy content of reproductives and brood were studied over a 25 week period in the laboratory. Colonies were then transferred into the field to study the established of the first mound. An initial four-week egg-laying cycle started within a week of pairing. Hatching occurred six weeks later. Two lines emerged from first instar undifferentiated larvae. Small larvae moulted first into minor presoldiers and then minor soldiers. Large larvae developed into major workers. Foraging began once second instar major workers had differentiated 20 weeks after colony foundation. First instar major workers did not forage but there is evidence of pre-foraging utilisation of soil humus. The epigeous mound was produced after three years. The energy available to maintain incipient termite colonies until the first workers start foraging is crucial to their survival. The royal pair of T. trinervoides does not feed during the rearing of the first brood, the fate of which depends largely on the reproductives accumulated energy reserves. The males and females expended 84.54 and 83.07% respectively of their total energy during this period. Once foraging started, the energy content of the royal pair increased and a second egg-laying cycle began.