The Light Infantry Chasseur, Chasseur a Cheval, of the French Army wore a uniform of universal green. Since there was a lot of these guys on the battlefield at any given time[since they were the most cost-effective soldiers] there was a lot of green there. But you are correct Mac: armies of that era had a perplexing number of colorful and distinctive uniforms. The armies of the Republic during the American Civil War displayed a large and interesting variety of uniforms as well. There is far less variety in current military attire..

Well....I'm truly sorry that anyone has to bear the insults of the ignorant and bigoted. It's been an educational experience learning about the drogatory nature of 'Frog', so I will certainly refrain from it's use in the future.

As an interesting side-note, I now consider myself to truly be a 'gringo', and find absolutely no insult in the use of that word to describe me. Most people of Western European desent here in the US southwest wear that label with some comfort and without malice toward the user. When my younger daughter was in Hawaii for a year of mission work she was often referred to as a 'hoale' [howlie] i.e. a white person. She did not find the term too insulting per se, but might have been distressed if the term were prefixed by 'F***ing'. In any event, it appears that intent and context are the culprits in these kinds of labels.

Certainly best to avoid their use completely...

John C. --thanks for the enlightenment on the cultural aspects of that particular word. It appears that ignorance rather than a thick skin is what is at play for me. The uniform explanation is but one of many attempts to pin down the origins of amphibian reference, and others abound.

Just shows we are never too old to learn something important about others.

Fire, the wheel, and the I IV V -- foundations of civilization.