Anyone who has ever seen any type of war movie has heard military ABC's. Yeah yeah yeah. I know it's called the phonetic alphabet or something like that. Whatever. Just nod your head and tell me you know what I'm talking about already!
The other night Fred, Paige, and myself were in the kitchen chatting whilst cooking supper. Somehow the phonetic letters were brought up. I was trying to go through the whole list to see if I could remember them. I did pretty decently for a person who doesn't use them on a regular basis.
I do have one teeny tiny beef about those letters, though. And it's not like what I think matters because the letters have been that way for a while and I'm pretty sure they're not going to change any time soon.
I was reciting letters and got to the end when I realized I had no clue what the letter "Y" stood for. And for good reason! The phonetic thingy is "Yankee". Now hold up a minute.
Where is the fair representation in all of this?
If Yankee can be used why can't you use "Rebel" for the letter "R" so that both sides of the coin can be seen? That's not hardly fair and I'm starting to lean toward some discrimination.
Paige totally saw my side to this argument (of course Fred just stands there and lets me rant and rave with his arms crossed not saying a word).
Paige: I know, right? "R" could be used for Rebel or REDNECK. We're not picky.
I got me one smart kid there.
I hope I'm never in a situation where I have to use the Military ABC's because if I am?
I'm totally gonna use Rebel or Redneck for the letter R.
(For those who don't know....Romeo is used for the letter R. How sucky is that?)
9 comments:
We did the same thing awhile back! Jeremy just sat back and laughed at me while I tried my best to throw out all the words for each letter. I did pretty gosh darn good if I do say so myself.
As for the Yankee thing...according to some research I did. "Yankee" wasn't always used for "Y." Apparently, the use of yankee is fairly new dating back to 1913 where the term "Yoke" was used to represent "Y." "Yankee" was implemented AFTER WWII in 1957.
One thing to also remember: the each letter or word used in the phonetic alphabet must be agreed on by other foreign nations. Thus creating a "language" that all nations can speak.
Here's a link that will show a table listing the changes in each letter from year to year. If you're so interested...lol
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq101-1.htm
Ahh...found some info about "Yankee."
The earlier usage of "Yankee" originally referred to people in the Northeastern US, or "New England."
After the Civil War, "Yankee" became a term that was used for most all Northerns.
Now the term "Yankee" has reverted back to it's original description when used in particular by Southerners. Typically, when a Southerner calls someone a "Yankee" they are referring to someone from New England. Not the Northern United States as a whole.
In foreign countries, though, the term "Yankee" is used when referring to ALL Americans. Not just those from New England.
My guess is due to the international concept of "Yankee" that is why it has been chosen to use as the designator for "Y" in the phonetic alphabet.
Just a note...I got info from Wikipedia. Just paraphrased it. :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee
Whew. And now the lesson is over. :)
Girl. You have GOT to get your butt in a classroom and SOON! LOL.
I believe I've learned more today than I have in quite a while.
p.s. I still like my word for R.
Girl, you are telling me!! Next fall can't come soon enough!! (Well, in some ways it can because I'll miss my baby boy!!!)
What about C for Confederate? S for secession? I for independence? L for Lee?
So many ways to balance the issue.
How about "Robust?" Describes most Navy wives perfectly, anyhow(me included!). LMAO
I like "redneck." And Em, you really do need to get into a classroom. And I thought *I* needed to get back to work. Whooee.
Start a petition! I'll sign for the use of redneck!!
Coty said R for the description of military wives... Being one myself ( one year to retirement)how about
resilient, reflective, realistic, raucous, and ravishing?
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