Wise men see soldier following mother (4)
I believe the answer is:
magi
'wise men' is the definition.
(the three wise men from the nativity)
'soldier following mother' is the wordplay.
'soldier' becomes 'gi' (GI can mean a US soldier).
'following' says to put letters next to each other.
'mother' becomes 'ma' (Ma is another word for mother or mum).
'gi' after 'ma' is 'MAGI'.
'see' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for magi that I've seen before include "Sorcerers in ancient times" , "Travellers in NT" , "Christmas travellers" , "Persian wise men" , "Biblical wise men" .)