Military jargon question stuff

[Aiyanna]

Someone just had questions regarding military jargon and I'm answering them because SB wasn't a good place to do so. Anyone else is welcome to join the convo though!

[RogueKitten]

You're sweet Baroness. I hope this doesn't come across as silly. It seems like everyone else writes this amazingly believable conversation over a comm-link and I haven't the slightest  clue where to begin.

How would I tell either the team, or a commander (commanding officer?) that I or the team needs to retreat? or someone needs medical attention that the group cannot provide?

How do you go in for the kill? or retreat? Keep your eyes peeled for whatever may come?

[Aiyanna]

Awe, not really true, but nice of you to say! It's not silly, you aren't born knowing how to write, especially not specialized content. Read my intro, I can't write as a guy lol.

Retreat: retreat, fall back
If while moving a 'rally point' is indicated, somewhere to meet if the team/group/squad/platoon gets separated, you might hear 'fall back to the RP'
Examples: Sir, we've been made! Retreat, take cover! Don't give 'em an easy target, evasive maneuvers as you fall back to the rally point!

moving forward: Move out, advance, it might be referred to as 'advancing on a position'

examples: Move out, boys, we've got a meet and greet at o'nine hundred. We've made visual contact with the target. Roger that, proceed as planned. Target is in sight, advancing on my mark.

did a little with nightvision in basic. Really references to nightvision aren't so much military specific jargon as slang. We call it NV a lot, we also use infrared. You might hear something as simple as  a command to "get out/bring out the goggles"

Examples: Keep an eye out, we're heading in to rough terrain. The roads around here are popular with the locals for IED's, be on your guard. Keep your heads on a swivel. Keep a 25 meter perimeter, don't want anything sneaking up on us. Sir/Ma'am/Sergeant it's getting dark. Alright, get out the goggles/NV specs.

[RogueKitten]

Well it feels silly, because the answers make so much sense. Hearing it, I can figure out what you mean. But coming up with those words isn't always as obvious to me.
Thank you for taking the time to answer them. If I think of more I know where to go!

[Aiyanna]

Sure :) And just have a little fun with it too. We military types aren't nearly as uptight as a lot of movies make it seem we use a lot of our own slang made up on the spot and some of the jargon made popular just by Hollywood. You want to get a lot of our dumber goofy references, just watch full metal jacket. Half of the marching cadences have references to that movie I swear.

[Pumpkin Seeds]

The terms can sound pretty cool and add a nice element when used correctly though.  Like once I was roleplaying with a Corpman in chat and he wrote out a scene of first responders, it was really cool.  Then we also had a couple of Marines and they would start shooting lines back and forth to each other, really set the tone for a military style game.

[Aiyanna]

Well, would you have any advice to share?

[Pumpkin Seeds]

About what?  Using military terms?  Nope.  Never was in the military, just have a few friends that are or were. 

[Merah]

Just remember that a lot of jargon is specific to the service (or country obviously). If you're using a fictional military, you have more leeway as to what jargon to use without it coming off as unrealistic.

If you're relatively new to military jargon, I'd recommend using it less rather than more. A bit of it can set the flavor, but too much that doesn't quite come off the way you meant can sound quite stilted. For example, I can't imagine anyone other than pilots using the term 'evasive manuvers', so if you used that for troops on the ground, it would sound rather weird/pretentious. 'Break contact' is a better term for ground troops retreating from the enemy in a careful manner (it usually involves them taking turns covering each other as they retreat).

But the best way to learn is reading fiction/non-fiction that has scenes of this stuff in it. If there are people on E who write the kind of military scenes you'd like to, just read their stuff and you'll pick it up pretty quick.

[Aiyanna]

Thanks Merah, I knew there was another common one for retreat, but I was having a brain freeze. Evasive maneuvers came to mind because my dad was Air Force haha.

[Oniya]

'Fall back' is another one. (Army brat, here.)  The key thing is conveying your message quickly and concisely, even through interference.  The phonetic alphabet was developed in such a way that each 'letter' consisted of enough syllables to piece the message together if there was a static burst.  Code words or nicknames come about the much the same way.  VC becomes 'Victor Charlie' in the phonetic alphabet, and then just 'Charlie' after frequent usage.

(Fun fact:  I memorized the phonetic alphabet when I was in tech support, reading out modem strings.  Every so often, I'd get a customer saying 'Don't bother with the "T as in" part.')

[Aiyanna]

Oh hey I'll just put that up here, nice quick reference
a: alpha b:bravo c:charlie d:delta e:echo f:foxtrot g:golf(some people it sounds like gulf) h:hotel i:India j:Juliet k:kilo l:lima(lee-ma, not lie-ma as in the bean) 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

a few of the numbers are sometimes pronounced a little differently to try to make them more clear over radio chatter 3: tree
4: fow-er 9:niner

[kckolbe]

http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm1-02-1.pdf

Here's a file for common brevity terms, most of which will never be used in RP, I'm sure.  Basically, the point is to convey oneself in concise terms without allowing for misinterpretation.  Winging it is just fine, just avoid long statements when talking over a net.

[Pumpkin Seeds]

I liked the phrase Danger Close.

[gaggedLouise]

"Kick! Smack! Declutter MANFRED!"  (all from the list of "new terms" at the start)

I was thinking military field slang would be rough and bawdy. Lyndon Johnson actually asked a general at a staff conference in the White House, "How can I hit them in the nuts?" referring to the North Vietnamese army - a comment saved for posterity by Robert McNamara...

[Callie Del Noire]

I liked the phrase Danger Close.

You don't when you're pulling your nugget recruit out of the path of an on coming F-14 or such, or out of the intake of a S-3 Viking.

[Oniya]

I suspect most of these phrases are somehow less enjoyable in the thick of the moment.  Just guessing. 

[kckolbe]

While not strictly military jargon, the most amusing thing I ever heard over radio was "unfuck yourself and call me back."

[Pumpkin Seeds]

I'm sure being shot at takes the fun out of many things.

[marauder13]

I'm sure being shot at takes the fun out of many things.

Not to forget that what is being shot/fired at you takes the fun out of things even faster.

[Oniya]

Getting hit by things that are being shot at you is pretty much the definition of 'Not Fun'.

Unless you're talking Nerf or paintball.  Maybe water balloons, but it's got to be over 80F out for that. (otherwise it's wet and unpleasant instead of cool and refreshing).

[Pumpkin Seeds]

Still..Danger Close sounds cool.

[gaggedLouise]

"Danger - Untagged/Unaligned Woman at 800!" would be a nice one - not sure if it's authentic codespeak but quite plausible in a combat or roadside situation.

[Oniya]

That would more likely be 'at eight o'clock' (meaning a bit behind on the left side) or 'At oh-eight-hundred' if referring to someone being met for breakfast.

[gaggedLouise]

That would more likely be 'at eight o'clock' (meaning a bit behind on the left side) or 'At oh-eight-hundred' if referring to someone being met for breakfast.

Was considering "at eight o'clock", ma'am, but went for the short "eight hundred".