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Phonetic Alphabet

A few weeks ago, a friend and I were joking around about sending secret messages to each other... complete with military passwords. (You know, the kind used in fighter pilot and submarine movies so that the home base can understand clearly what is being said since so many letters sound similar. There's no mixing up letters when one hears Alpha, Bravo, Charlie...) She was trying to think of the name for F. It took me a few moments, but I remembered it was "Foxtrot". She laughed at me, and she didn't believe me. But, I was pretty sure I had heard it in a movie sometime.

Somehow and in some way, when I was speaking to my friend mike3e last night, the subject came up again. So, once again, "Foxtrot" was introduced into the mix, and Mike was able to confirm its validity on his computer at the same time. We then had a short discussion about "L" which is "Lima" - think PERU, not BEAN! For a little enjoyment, I thought I'd include the Phonetic Alphabet Chart here. While there are numerous variations, many consider the NATO alphabet the "most correct." (This is also known as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) code.) Sierra Tango Romeo Echo Mike
Posted by strem at 10:12 AM 
This is interesting. I'm glad I haven't been called to a position that requires me to use the ICAO code. It's a little too complicated for me.

5/08/2007 8:15 PM 
so does that make me...

Delta Alpha November India Echo Lima Lima Echo,

and why say anything that way if it takes so long. In school I was just duck (since the last name is mallard, it makes sense) and that was way easier.

interesting though to see the difference. I know a few of the Army ones, don't know how though.

5/08/2007 9:31 PM 
I'm sure that it was used more as a way of giving short statements, such as coordinates on a map or such. I think more now of the use by law enforcement officers such as State Police and County officers using it for noting license plates. Think of a personalize plate that if they read it as it sounds compared to how it really was spelled. Say it was "BARE" and the officer radioed to his dispatcher and just stated that word when it was really spelled "BEAR." That would cause confusion as well as not getting the right vehicle/driver etc. Bravo Echo Alpha Romeo would be very clear as to who/what they were looking for. Hope this makes sense. I know we use a form of this at the prison where I work. Either over the radios or on telephones, you need to be able to communicate exactly. Strem's Mom

5/10/2007 9:16 PM 
Ma, thanks for leaving the comment to explain - especially since its been so busy at work this week. (I thought you might use this at work.)

She's right. This method is usually used for conveying short messages that need complete accuracy. If you've ever seen the submarine movie Crimson Tide, I believe this is a key part of the story. I am not endorsing the movie - as I have not seen it in years and have forgotten the quality of the content. But, (if my memory isn't failing me), the sub operators must go through a protocol of reading a series of these letters in a check and balance system with the commanding officers before firing a missile from the sub.

So many times during the day, I must spell names over the phone at my job. M and N can be so easily interchanged. F and S are a problem. Many others. I've fallen into the practice of making up my own words to represent letters, but I thought it would be better to learn the "official" alphabet for use from now on.

5/11/2007 9:31 AM 
Nobody uses pig-latin anymore...? *shrugging shoulders* Ya'll have gotten way too complicated for this simple gal.



5/28/2007 12:03 PM 
STREM, Interesting table you provided, although it is incorrect for NATO...

"A" is "ALFA" (because some languages have no equivalent to "PH" in English...

"J" is "Juliett" (it was made into a unique word, differing from person naming)...

The "most correct" is the ICAO version, see webpage [www.icao.int/Pages/Alphabet/Radiotelephony.aspx] for completeness and citation.

BTW, this happens to match the NATO...

Cheers, TM

12/02/2014 10:03 AM