h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The day I joined the Army, one of the first tasks I set for myself was learning to spell my own name phonetically. It took me a while, but by the time I got home from the enlistment station, I had it worked out. (It helped that my full name has lots of Echoes, Limas, and Novembers.)

What else did you learn in the army?

First aid, how to run an office and a field laundry (not necessarily at the same time), and how to get along with really, really annoying people.

Were you trained to kill/murder people?

I was trained to defend myself and my buddies by whatever means necessary--and if this is going to decline into a moral debate on the necessity of war, I'm going to unsub fast enough to break the sound barrier.

I'm in the Sea Cadet Corps. We figured a lot of things out in Phonetic. My initials are Juliett Delta Kilo

I was at the firing range once, and my drill sergeant went downrange to look at my target. He wanted to write my name on it, but he didn't know how to spell it. I had to SCREAM "November, Echo, November..." It was a little frustrating.

We just learn how to say things quickly and annoy people who can't understand it. Like the song Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo but much longer. Its great to talk in code if your friends know it really well too, it confuses other people so much.

I don't mess with it much anymore unless I'm talking to my dad. All my friends are civilians and would look at me strange if I said, "Hotel-India, Mike-Alpha-November-Delta-Echo-Echo." (You figure it out.)

Whisky Echo Lima Lima, Tango Hotel Alpha Tango Sierra Tango Hotel Echo Oscar Lima Oscar Sierra Sierra

India-Foxtrot Yankee-Oscar-Uniform Sierra-Alpha-Yankee Sierra-Oscar.

Oscar Kilo Tango Hotel Echo November, India Tango ' Sierra Sierra Echo Tango Tango Lima Echo Delta.

India Whiskey-Oscar-November-'Tango Alpha-Romeo-Golf-Uniform-Echo Whiskey-India-Tango-Hotel Yankee-Oscar-Uniform. India-Sierra India-Tango Juliet-Uniform-Sierra-Tango Mike-Echo, Oscar-Romeo India-Sierra Tango-Hotel-India-Sierra Golf-Echo-Tango-Tango-India-November-Golf Sierra-India-Lima-Lima-Yankee?

Yes, it is quite

Glad we agree on something.