Elizabeth Custer believed the name changed over time to mean the soldiers themselves.
Now, we probably most often think of doughboys as the soldiers who fought for the allies in World War I.
By World War II, soldiers were called other names. The one most often heard was GI or GI Joe.
Most people say the letters "GI" were a short way to say general issue, or government issue.
The name came to mean several things. It could mean the solider himself.
It could mean things given to soldiers when they joined the military, such as weapons, equipment or clothes.
And for some reason, it could mean to organize or clean.
Soldiers often say we GI'd the place. And when an area looks good, soldiers may say the area is GI.
Strangely though, GI can also mean poor work, a job badly done.
