''Does anyone need to be told why G.I. Joe is Man of this Year?" asked a reader from Ohio.

Each year since 1927, when TIME chose its first Man of the Year, the editors have asked themselves the blunt question: Who did most to change the news of the year for better (as Stalin did in 1942 when he pushed back the Germans) or for worse (as Stalin did in 1939 when the Hitler-Stalin pact unleashed World War II)?

This year the editors found that the Man of the Year was best expressed in a symbol: the American Fighting-man. You will find his story, and the reasons for his selection, in the War in Asia section. On this page are the woman, the couple and the 15 men who, in 23 years of depression, war and imperfect peace, preceded G.I. Joe as Man of the Year.

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