"Soldier Boy" is a 1953 science fiction short story by American author Michael Shaara, about a soldier who, when sent on a routine patrol to a colonized world, saves the planet from an alien and its robot attack devices. Despite an ingrained contempt for the military that arose as part of conditioning to avoid war, the human colonists gradually assist the soldier when strange occurrences suggest they are not alone on the planet and may be, like several other colony planets, under threat of extermination by outside forces.
"Soldier Boy," a 1953 science fiction short story by Michael Shaara, is about a soldier who saves a colonized world from an alien invasion and the threat of extermination by outside forces. Despite being trained to avoid war, he finds himself fighting for survival against a hostile force that threatens their existence.