ghost soldier
n.— «The phrase “ghost soldiers” has a negative connotation in Army parlance—a reference to the administrative practice of filling units with names on paper, but not actual able-bodied soldiers.» —“Troops bask in Bush’s praise” by Michael Gilbert News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.) June 19, 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
If you speak a second or third language, you may remember the first time you dreamed in that new tongue. But does this milestone mean you’re actually fluent? And a couple’s dispute over the word regret: Say you wish you’d been able...