Definition of Yank

Yank may refer to:

• Yank, the Army Weekly, a newspaper for American soldiers during World War II
• Yank (physics), the rate of change in force
• Yanks, a 1979 film
• Yank Rachell bluesman, mandolin and guitar player.
• Yank, the name for the copy command in vi and the paste command in Emacs, two commonly used UNIX/Linux text editors.
• Short form of Yankee, derogatory slang term for someone of American origin or heritage

Yank, the Army Weekly was a weekly magazine published by the United States military during World War II. Founded and edited by Major Hartzell Spence (1908-2001), the magazine was written by enlisted rank soldiers only and was made available to the soldiers, sailors and airmen serving overseas. It was published at facilities around the world -- British, Mediterranean, Continental, Western Pacific -- for a total of 21 editions in 17 countries. Yank was the most widely read magazine in the history of the U.S. military, achieving a worldwide circulation of more than 2.6 million. Each issue was priced at five cents because it was felt that if soldiers paid, they would have a higher regard for the publication. Each issue was edited in New York City and then shipped for printing around the world where staff editors added local stories. The last issue was published in December, 1945. Scott Corbett (later known as a writer of novels for children) served as the last editor. Sketch artists such as Robert Greenhalgh and Howard Brodie worked on the magazine which also featured the "G.I. Joe" cartoons by Dave Breger and the Sad Sack cartoons by Sgt. George Baker. Noted artist and author, Jack Coggins, spent over two years with Yank - firstly in New York, then in London; during his time with Yank he produced illustrations and articles featured in more than 24 issues.