# A question for you Army guys **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 30, 2024, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-you-army-guys/1006490 "2024-08-30T22:36:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2024, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-you-army-guys/1006490/21 "2024-09-01T03:19:34Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > > [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > > > Presumably, yes (there is a company commander). Although I gather it’s not among the most important/prestigious jobs, because during the recent unpleasantness in Iraq and Afghanistan, they would often fill those billets with individual augmentees from the Navy (sometimes volunteers, but often not). I could have been one—might have—if I didn’t end up lucking into a job as an advisor to the Iraqi Navy. > > I’ve never seen that except in joint units. I was deployed twice into joint units. All the command was army but other services filled slots. Since I dodged all those bullets, I can’t say for certain whether the billets on my slate were supposed to be with Army or Joint units (I don’t remember). Although it was not uncommon (in fact, more common than not) circa 2010 for IAs from my community to be assigned to Army units. It was a major source of frustration within the community, actually, because being assigned to an Army unit meant not being eligible for the 3 for 1 joint tour credit (or any joint credit at all) one might otherwise have gotten (the 3 for 1 was for serving in a joint unit in a combat zone). The _really_ crazy thing is that, although I was part of Iraq Training and Advisory Mission-Navy, we were technically under the Deputy Commanding General For Advisory and Training for US Forces, Iraq. A joint command. Which means that even though I did Navy work with Navy people… I of all people got the 3 for 1 joint credit (and a joint unit citation, and a joint end of tour award). It’s almost a shame I didn’t stay in long enough for it to matter… Almost. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2024, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-you-army-guys/1006490/22 "2024-09-01T03:45:48Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > > [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > > > 22 years in the Army, and I’ve never seen it spelled “alfa”. It’s always “Alpha”. > > 21 years as a Navy radioman, and it was always “Alfa” in manuals, including both NTPs (Navy Telecommunications Publications) and ATPs (Allied Telecommunications Publications). And this is why we can feel confident that our different service branches are completely coordinated and able to function together seamlessly. 😜 ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2024, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-you-army-guys/1006490/23 "2024-09-01T03:58:00Z")
The Navy’s quasi-official story seems to be “Alfa.” Which is odd, because I can swear I’ve more commonly seen “Alpha”: > **[Phonetic Alphabet and Signal Flags](https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/p/phonetic-alphabet-and-signal-flags.html)** > > A phonetic alphabet is a list of words used to identify letters in a message transmitted by radio or telephone. Spoken words from an approved list are substituted for letters. For example, the word I say quasi-official because, although that’s a .mail website, it’s hardly authoritative. As a contrary example, consider “Class Alpha fire” as in page two of this: > **[SERMC%20Safety%20SOP%2034%20Shipboard%20Fire%20Safety%20and%20Emergency%20Response%20Plan.pdf](https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Portals/103/Documents/SERMC/Safety%20Items%20July%202022/SOPs/SERMC%20Safety%20SOP%2034%20Shipboard%20Fire%20Safety%20and%20Emergency%20Response%20Plan.pdf)** ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2024, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-you-army-guys/1006490/24 "2024-09-01T04:30:53Z")
This is the right answer in a nutshell. It used to be (WW2 and thereabouts): > Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog, Easy, Fox, George, How, Item, Jig, King, Love, Mike, Nan, Oboe, Peter, Queen, Roger, Sugar, Tare, Uncle, Victor, William, X-ray, Yoke, Zebra. But with the advent of NATO, they needed one that was easier for non-native English speakers and with less opportunity for confusion, so they went with the NATO phonetic 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. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2024, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-you-army-guys/1006490/25 "2024-09-01T15:43:27Z")
You misspelled “alfa”, which is the crux of the OP, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2024, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-you-army-guys/1006490/26 "2024-09-01T15:47:57Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Is there an HHC company commander, too, There is an HHC Commander, and HHC XO and an HHC First Sergeant, just like any other company. The major difference is that in a regular company, these are the senior ranked NCO and senior two officers in the company. In the Battalion HHC, there are lots of captains, a Major, a CSM, and a LTC. The LTC still needs his/her leave form signed by the commander of the company. It’s funny to see a LTC ask the CPT to approve his/her leave. In a Brigade HHC, it’s even worse. It’s still led by a CPT, LT and First Sergeant. But there are much more high ranking officers in the staff and a COL. It’s often said the HHC Commander has “all of the responsibility and none of the authority”. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2024, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-you-army-guys/1006490/27 "2024-09-01T15:52:41Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > You misspelled “alfa”, which is the crux of the OP, I think. Did he really, though? is the crux 🙂 For instance, the same list of words says “Juliet” in English but “Juliett” in French, so which is correct? ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2024, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-you-army-guys/1006490/28 "2024-09-01T16:21:22Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > For instance, the same list of words says “Juliet” in English but “Juliett” in French, so which is correct? It’s too late for me. It will never not be Alpha and Juliet. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2024, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-you-army-guys/1006490/29 "2024-09-01T16:56:08Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > It will never not be Alpha and Juliet. Actually, it was Alfa Romeo, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2024, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-you-army-guys/1006490/30 "2024-09-15T00:34:14Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > 2/227th AVN BN Fliegerhorst Kaserne? When? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2024, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-you-army-guys/1006490/31 "2024-09-17T01:26:42Z")
That was a typo. I was in 1/227th in what was then called Fort Hood. In Germany I was in 2/4th AVN BN [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-for-you-army-guys/1006490.md?page=1)