Let's have a little fun here. Let's say that you and I are hiding out at point B. We have a clear view of the combat unit we are charged with watching over and protecting. They are at point G. Off in the distance, we can see enemy tanks advancing on our boys at point G. The enemy tanks are located at points C and D.
Well, this is nothing we can't handle. We whip out our Army radios and call in an artillery strike and direct fire to the tank at point C. But these Army radios are crackling and full of static. We hear the whoosh coming overhead, and the Howitzer round lands directly on our boys at point G.
"No goddamit! I said point C, not G!" Oops. It's a little hard to tell the difference over a crackling radio transmission.
Suddenly, the tank at point D turns in our direction. We call in another strike, this time directing the fire to point D over our crackling, static-filled Army radios. We hear another whoosh. And an arty round lands on our heads. Oops, guess they thought we said point B.
Don't worry, this was only a simulation. But if this were to happen in the real world, the results would be catastrophic. To prevent situations like this from happening, we use the Army approved phonetic alphabet to ensure that our transmissions are clear, even over the static. Instead of just using letters, many of which sound the same, we use an approved set of words in place of the letters so that our transmissions can be heard properly.
The Army phonetic alphabet is as follows:
A = Alpha
B = Bravo
C = Charlie
D = Delta
E = Echo
F = Foxtrot
G = Golf
H = Hotel
I = India
J = Juliet
K = Kilo
L = Lima
M = Mike
N = November
O = Oscar
P = Papa
Q = Quebec
R = Romeo
S = Sierra
T = Tango
U = Uniform
V = Victor
W = Whiskey
X = X-Ray
Y = Yankee
Z = Zulu
Numbers are pronounced as follows:
1 = Wun
2 = Too
3 = Tree
4 = Fow-er
5 = Fife
6 = Six
7 = Seven
8 = Ate
9 = Niner
0 = ZE-ro
10 = wun ZE-ro
11 = wun wun
12 = won too
13 = one tree
and so on
100 = wun ZE-ro ZE-ro
1,000 = wun tousand
No matter what your MOS (Military Occupational Specialty), it is important that you take the time to memorize the phonetic alphabet and the Army approved pronunciation of numbers. This is especially important if your MOS requires you to use radio transmission regularly to perform the essential tasks of your job, such as a 13Foxtrot10 Fire Support Specialist.
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