Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: The Real Language of the Modern American Military

by Alan Axelrod

Few areas of human endeavor have produced more—or more colorful—terms than has the military. Soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen have over centuries come up with words, phrases, and acronyms to express everything from raw emotion to complex technology. The military is both a distinctive way of life and a community, and a command of its slang is essential to admission to full membership within the group.Most military slang is almost always familiar only to the troops. Mating mosquitoes, for example, refers to the two-chevron insignia of the Army corporal. Gadget describes an enlisted man or woman who is temporarily promoted to a position of increased responsibility to fill an urgent need, while a panty raid is a foray into enemy territory for the purpose of gathering evidence of adversary activity.Among the less delicate entries are the day the eagle shits, or payday, and skimmer puke, a submariner’s term for any surface ship sailor. (And then there’s the book’s title, the acronym for What The F-ck).Many elements of military vocabulary have become part of our national John Wayne, boondocks, attaboy, and hot dog. But whether the words and phrases are the exclusive property of our fighting men and women or are also in general use, the “real” language of the modern military set forth in this lively book embodies a uniquely American attitude and an exuberantly colloquial, unwaveringly honest, and enduringly American grace under pressure.

Genres: Nonfiction, Military Fiction

225 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2013

About the author

Alan Axelrod, Ph.D., is a prolific author of history, business and management books. As of October 2018, he had written more than 150 books, as noted in an online introduction by Lynn Ware Peek before an interview with Axelrod on the National Public Radio station KPCW. Axelrod resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

Reviews

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knew many, remembered some

Having served in both the Navy and the Army National Guard, I was familiar with many. Many were dated or new. The book was quite a memory jogger for anachronisms and phrases I have forgotten. A fun read.

[Bob Cantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Foxtrot Union November

I have several books on military language and this one is a great addition to them. The language found in this book might be a little too risque for some, but remember this is a language used by men, who are in extreme situations at time. Another thing that was interesting in this book was how some of the words and phrases shown are actually complaints. From my own experience in the military I have found that be you soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine you aren't happy if you don't have something to complain about. So read and enjoy finding some of the salty language of the military.

[Denise J Fussel · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a former Navy brat...

I thoughly enjoyed this dictionary/translation of specialized military treminology. Since my Dad served during both the Korean and Vietnamese Conflictits as a Damage Controlman- First Class, I was already familiar with quite a few. I also enjoyed learning the historyof how the terms came to be and some of the newer terms have come to be. My one disappointment was that a favorite of both mine and my Dad's was not included. The term is FUBB/R = F***ed up beyond belief/repair.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

FYI, this is not a story you read from cover to cover. This is more of a reference book - think urban dictionary but for the military. It might make a fun gift for someone going into the military or a family member of someone in the military. It has some fun and interesting information but there are SO many definitions that the only way I see this book being effective is if one uses it to look up specific words and phrases.

[Tracy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was surprised at the number of entries in the book that I knew. I've been out of the Army for 22 years and there have been two wars fought since then, so I figured that there would be many new entries. Surprisingly, there were not that many new ones. Many of the entries were from WWII and Vietnam. I was happy to see that BCGs (Birth Control Glasses) made the cut. There were acronyms and phrases that I would have liked to have seen, but overall, it was an interesting book.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember hearing some of these in use in the Navy. And there are a number of them that would be really useful at work! ;-)