Random memory aid

[e_juliana]

Because I keep using it and misremembering the letters I don't use much:


Aviation/NATO alphabet
Alpha
Bravo
Charlie
Delta
Echo
Foxtrot
Golf
Hotel
India
Juliet
Kilo
Lima
Mike
November
Oscar
Papa
Quebec
Romeo
Sierra
Tango
Uniform
Victor
Whiskey
X-ray
Yankee
Zulu

The history and diversity of phonetic alphabets is fascinating.

Comments

[ste-noni.livejournal.com]

Here's my favorite phonetic alphabet story. When I first spoke to Joe over the phone, I asked him his last name. He spelled it phonetically - IZAGUIRRE. To myself, I was thinking "What a loser" even though the military is all about the phonetic alphabet. (Oh, and I was in the Army at the time. joe was making an overseas call and I just happened to asnwer the phone.) Anyway, now that it's my name I spell it phonetically all the time because people ALWAYS get it wrong.

[e-juliana.livejournal.com]

Okay, that's SO CUTE.

I have to use the phonetic alphabet to spell my name, too.

[serenada.livejournal.com]

Foxtrot Alpha, dude!

[e-juliana.livejournal.com]

India Kilo, dude!

[spectralbovine.livejournal.com]

Neato!

Go India.

Shirley Manson in your icon, I presume?

[e-juliana.livejournal.com]

It actually flips back and forth between Iodine and India, depending on who you talk to. I think India is much easier to say.

And yep! Purely chosen for the thext on this one.

[veejane.livejournal.com]

I look at the list and I think, Lima Peru or that Lima city pronounced LIE-ma (in Ohio or Indiana or someplace)? I'm not helping things, am I??

[hackerguitar.livejournal.com]

Gah. I hear too much of this, working with public safety agencies...

[sail-aweigh.livejournal.com]

Heh. When I worked military police at Miramar we would make a radio rendevouz of patrol cars to take a spotlight out to some of the far edges of the base to go hunting for DELTA-ECHO-ECHO-ROMEO. I don't know why we bothered spelling it out because everyone listening was in the military, too.

My favorite, though, was when we did a traffic stop and got a real jerk behind the wheel. We'd call for backup by telling dispatch we had an ADAM-HENRY. It didn't use the phonetic alphabet, but it got the point across even better by using what appeared to be a real name.