English to German Other Slang Militär

Aus einem Artikel über den Bericht der Iraq Study Group:
For all of the time they spent learning about America's war in Iraq, the Iraq Study Group failed to study the war at its most critical level: that of the grunts.

Und später dann:
The actions of "strategic corporals" and captains matter most for small wars of this character. It is at their level where the war will be won or lost. It speaks volumes that the panel did not take the time to hear any of these grunt-level voices while in Iraq or back in the United States ...

So wie ich das verstehe, bezeichnet "grunts" die Leute an der Front, die hautnah beteiligt sind. Stimmt das so? Und gäbe es da einen passenden deutschen Ausdruck?