private soldier 
noun
1A soldier of the lowest rank.Even during the 19th century, if an NCO or a private soldier was being court-martialled in the German army a set proportion of the members of the court had to hold the same rank as the accused....
- If McBride was a gunner - a private soldier in the Royal Artillery - he possibly came from Newry.
- Briefly working as a schoolmaster, in 1938 Rivet enlisted as a private soldier before service with the Royal Signals where he eventually rose to the rank of major and undertook service in East Africa.
1.1US A soldier of the lowest rank who is not a recruit.Greene's exhaustive research presents an insider's view of the VI Corps from points of view ranging from the private soldier to the commanding general....
- I look upon these private soldiers with their guns upon their shoulders as superior to me.
- If the military really can't fight wars without contractors, it must at least come up with ironclad policies on what to do if the private soldiers break local laws or leave American forces in the lurch.