The Telephone Game

[Shek]

In reading a history of the Army of the Potomac, I came across a quote from a Union Corporal who spoke about heading towards "Sponsey Crania burnt house" (Spotsylvania Court House), and it made think about what a different perspective one has at the bottom of the food chain and how orders and information can take on a life of it's own as it travels. Of course, as a hierarchal organization, the military inherently plays the telephone game.

My own personal experience with this is reading from this book, Amazon.com: My War: Killing Time in Iraq (9780399153273): Colby Buzzell: Books, and comparing this Specialist's view of the world to mine (I was the company commander of a different company within the same battalion).

[Albany Rifles]

Well, Sir, I will try to be pacific in my statements but I will have to mark it with an astridge.

PSG Cruz....OCT 1987. I will always remember that statement!

[Shek]

Well, Sir, I will try to be pacific in my statements but I will have to mark it with an astridge.

PSG Cruz....OCT 1987. I will always remember that statement!

Sounds like you needed to orientate that soldier about the need to axe you a question.

[sourkraut115]

In order to orientate a map correctly, you need to take off your kevalar.

Most young soldiers just need a mentard to help them learn the stanyards.

[McFire]

There's nothing like being "axed" a question. My current favorite is the non-pronuncuiation of "t" in words. Instead of , "I climbed the mountain", it's, "I climbed the moun-en". :smack:

[Station 22]

And "denis", where they drop both "t"s.

I guess they think it is "irregardless."

[Albany Rifles]

I did have a battalion command sergeant major ask me why did a 400 gallon water trailer have POTABLE WATER stenciled on the side. He said, "Sir, of course its potable....its on wheels!"

The same guy the also thought a HEMMT is what got put on a HET.

FT Stewart, GA, 1986.

[sourkraut115]

the "mentard" comment came from my first sergeant as we prepared to deploy to Iraq in '07... oddly, I guess he was my "mentard" in a way, because he was my squad leader when I was a PV1 in '89... he was also a frequent user of "pacifically", and insisted that we keep the "billecks" clean and orderly.

"orientate" and "kevalar" are too common in daily usage to be attributed to any one person... "Stanyards" was a favorite of SFC Baltimore when I was a lowly corporal in Korea in '93-'94...

[Shek]

I did have a battalion command sergeant major ask me why did a 400 gallon water trailer have POTABLE WATER stenciled on the side. He said, "Sir, of course its potable....its on wheels!"

Hopefully he didn't double dip as the medic who "tested" the water.

The same guy the also thought a HEMMT is what got put on a HET.

Well of course it's bigger - it's got more letters in its acronym!