A garrison is a group of soldiers stationed in a particular town, fort, or base to defend it. It can also mean the place where these soldiers live and work.
“Garrison” comes from Old French “garison,” meaning “defense or protection,” from “garir,” meaning “to defend or protect.” It shifted from the idea of protection to the troops and place that provide it.
A garrison turns a simple building into a symbol of control—whoever holds the garrison usually holds the town. In many old cities, today’s peaceful tourist forts once housed tense garrisons watching for attack.
‘Garrison’ historically referred to military posts and their troops, in eras when formal armies were overwhelmingly male and women’s military roles were minimized or unofficial. This contributed to a default association of combat and defense with men.
When describing garrisons past or present, name the participation of women and gender-diverse people where documented, and avoid assuming all soldiers are male.
["military post","stationed troops","base personnel"]
Women have served in and supported garrisons as combatants, medics, logisticians, and leaders, often underrecognized; include them explicitly in historical and contemporary accounts.
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