Since the First World War, British and American troops have deployed the metric system of measurement whenever they are carrying out joint operations with the French. The maps were created by the French and the word “kilometer” became an integral part of the American Military especially after the First World War. The word click is a product of kilometer; hence one click is the same as one kilometer. Ever since NATO was created, the maps being used by its member Nations comply with the NATO standards. Also, the Military Grid Reference Systems (MGRS) is the standard being used by members of NATO. It is used for locating the points on the earth and can locate any place on the earth to the closest meter.
What is a click in the military?
A Click is a military term which simply stands for a distance of about 0.062 miles or 1 kilometer. The term first gained popularity during the war in Vietnam. When sighting in a weapon it is used to illustrate a minute of an arc. In such a situation, a click is equated to an inch of the distance of a hundred yards. A click is simply the short form of one kilometer and as such four clicks equal four kilometers. The Military is known to deploy metric measurements for distances and maps. The click is used when sighting in a weapon like a riffle.
What Is The History Behind The Word Click?
There is a widespread belief among historians that the term click derives its origin in Vietnam among the Australian Infantry. According to the story, the soldiers would move around using compass direction and calculate the distance using pacing. For them to be aware of the distance, at least one soldier would be asked to count the paces. This would be 100 paces down-hill, 110paces on flat land and 120 paces up-hill which would all be equal to 0.1 kilometers. Each 100-meter lot would be kept track of by the soldier who moves the gas regulator on his L1A1 rifle, one mark.
Upon moving for about 1000 meters of 10 marks, the said soldier would send a signal to the commander using his hands. He would then indicate movement by a thousand meters by simply raising the gun rewinding the regulator using his thumb which causes a “click” sound.
What Are The Other Types Of Distance Measurements?
The other types of distance measurements include the US customary units and imperial units. Each of these units is derived from the much older British units. For instance, the imperial units were initially used by the commonwealth during the former British Empire. But since the end of this Empire, the Nations that used this imperial units have seen a switch to the metric system. There are places where the imperial system is still being used in Britain even though they have largely been replaced using the metric system.
In the American customary unit, a foot equals 12 inches and a yard is the same as 3 feet. A mile is also the same as 1760 yards or 5280 feet. Only yards, feet, inches are mainly used. There are some other units which are used like the picas.
American customary units are the same as the imperial units even though some distinct differences exist between the US customary units and the imperial units.
What Makes The American Military Special?
The American Military is composed of the Marine Corps, Army, Space Force, Navy, Air Force, and the Coast Guard. The military is headed by the president of America who acts as the commander in chief of the armed force. The six services are components of the eight uniformed services in America.
The American Military has always played a pivotal role in the history of America since its inception. For instance, the American sense of identity was created due to the victory recorded in the First Barbary War as well as the Second Barbary War. There was some reluctance about the possibility of a permanent security force by America at some point.
A Few Terms Only People In The Military Would Know
The unique thing about America is that each of the regions has its unique terms. But when it comes to complex and unique terms, the Military is in a world of its own. Aside from the acronyms used by members of the military, there are certain phrases used that should catch the attention of anyone. Here is a run-down of a number of them:
1. A good piece of gear
Only members of the military have the exclusive right to refer to a fellow member as a good piece of gear. An attempt to refer to a member by a nonmember could be met with unpalatable consequences.
2. Fifteen minutes before fifteen minutes prior
It is a culture among members of the military to show up to everything at least 15 minutes before the time. The term fifteen minutes before fifteen minutes was coined from the expectation that you arrive fifteen minutes before the person that is next in rank. What this implies is that if the colonel wants to see everybody by 05:00 the lieutenant colonel has to be there by 04:45. The order goes on like that until it gets to the last man in the chain of command.
3. Blues Buddies
The term Blues stands for the name given to what Marine Corps, Navy, and Air force. When two personnel wearing this color combination leave the base together, there are known as blues buddies.
4. Chair force
This is a funny term used to describe Air Force personnel who never fly a plane. These categories of people are instead found flying desks. They are usually found doing office-based jobs in the Air Force.
5. Embrace the Suck
One thing people who have spent time in the military would unanimously agree to be the fact that it can suck sometimes. There is the constant danger of being shot while on the battlefield coupled with the unpleasant issue of being under the command structure. This structure is such that sees you do things you would hitherto never want to do simply because you are answerable to a superior officer.
6. Field strip
This is a term that implies dismantling weapons with a view to clean, repair, and lubricates them while you are in the field. The term can, however, be used in informal settings when you are dismantling anything. For instance, if a truck gets stuck in the field, the troops will get it to field stripped by removing anything that is of value before they leave it behind. Also, if your bike gets spoilt on the way in an isolated part of town, you may come back and find it field stripped.
7. Battles rattle
This simply talks about the gear which services men must take along when they are beyond the wire. This includes ration of food, water, protective gear, ammunition, and riffle. The reason why it bears the name battle rattle is that when the soldiers move around with this stuff hanging from their body, it is bound to make some noise.
8. No impact, no idea
This is a statement used when a shooter who is on the range is so far away from the target that the spotters do not catch a glimpse of the impact. It is also used loosely to imply that the speaker does not comprehend something or when a person appears to be clueless.
9. Police call
A police call is simply a situation where a unit gets to line up and walks through a particular area in search of trash. On the other hand, policing is simply a situation where a unit confirms the behavior of the members. It is also applicable when some people are instructed to take proper care of their outward appearance.
10. Hurry up and wait, standby to standby
The military is an arm of the government and the government is hardly ever efficient. Standby simply stands for preparatory instruction which tells a unit to prepare for instruction to proceed. It is an unofficial term used to tell junior officers to await the next instruction before they proceed. When the term “standby to standby” is used, it simply means that the unit is waiting to keep waiting for some extra time. Hurry up and wait on the other hand simply talks about the speed with which the military gets tasks done only to end up waiting idly for longer periods.
11. Gear Adrift is a gift
In the military, it is taken to be your fault if something you were to attend to gets missing. Also, if a person finds an item that is not attended to and picks it, it is taken that they acquired it tactically. The tactical acquisition is one of the things taught in the camp where one member of a platoon preys on another platoon to get the bragging rights.
Final Shot
The American military is without a doubt the largest and strongest in the world. This, therefore, means that it is both complex and sophisticated in all ramifications. This is why there are quite several terms and acronyms meaning different things. we hope we have been able to expose you to some of these terms.
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