How come solders always say roger?

ting

New member
Jul 28, 2008
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I wuz reading some manga then it jus popped into my head. U know the solders and the army's and stuff? They keep on saying roger. I mean, isn't roger a name or something? Could someone tell me how it originated or why they say it? Thanks!
 
"Roger" means "I have received all of the last transmission" in both military and civilian aviation radio communications. This usage comes from the initial R of received: R was called Roger in the radio alphabets or spelling alphabets in use by the military at the time of the invention of the radio, such as the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet. It is also often shortened in writing to "rgr". The word Romeo is used for "R", rather than "Roger" in the modern international NATO phonetic alphabet.

Contrary to popular belief, Roger does not mean or imply both "received" and "I will comply." That distinction goes to the contraction wilco (from, "will comply"), which is used exclusively if the speaker intends to say "received and will comply." Thus, the phrase "Roger Wilco" is both procedurally incorrect and redundant.
 
They say roger a lot? Hah, no, soldiers don't just mindlessly echo just any senseless phrase they hear, hooah? Good to go.
 
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