Quick question for ex-servicemen & women regarding terms

[Yeoman Randi]

Just a quick question for real life ex-service men and women:

Are the terms we have come to know and love in Star Trek really used in the service? Such as "Understood", "Come!" and "Engage"? And are there any others that have been used regularly in ST that are used in RL?

This is one of those things that i've always wondered about.

 

[Vonstadt]

Well for me and my time serving :

'Understood" - Oh yeah, this is used. Usually though with 'Sir/Ma'am' or Sergant after it depending on said rank.

"Engage" - pretty much, usualy with an "Engage said hostiles at so and so coordinates" probably have to ask an ex navy boy or girl if it is used to carry through with an order like that.

"Come" - Well sort of...more likely as not it was "Get your *SS over here NOW" kinda thing.

But in a sense yeah all three are used IRL.

Vons

 

[Yeoman Randi]

Well for me and my time serving :

'Understood" - Oh yeah, this is used. Usually though with 'Sir/Ma'am' or Sergant after it depending on said rank.

"Engage" - pretty much, usualy with an "Engage said hostiles at so and so coordinates" probably have to ask an ex navy boy or girl if it is used to carry through with an order like that.

"Come" - Well sort of...more likely as not it was "Get your *SS over here NOW" kinda thing.

But in a sense yeah all three are used IRL.

Vons

Thank you for answering! The "come" command, not sure if i was clear on that one... how like, when someone is at the captain's door (when its closed) and he says "Come!" (like, come in)... is that used?

 

[Star Wolf]

US Army, mid 80s. If you are asking about the exact terms no we did not use them but we used other words with the same meaning. Sort of like when Kurn did exchange duty on Enterprise or even Jellicoe and the bridge got a different set of terms then Picard used and Rker adopted.

The engage specifically would not be used to order any action as Picard did but only to allow a lower level commander to open fire.

 

[CTM]

to add to what has been said:

We typically used "Enter" instead of "Come", but the exact same intonation and use. (Army early part of this decade). Some of the more senior NCOs and Officers occasionally used "Come" but I think the younger-crowd mentally went straight for the gutter with it, so it fell out of favor.

 

[barnaclelapse]

I remember running this by an ex-servicemen friend once and getting the same answer.

I wasn't really surprised. I always assumed it was taken from a real context.

 

[Yeoman Randi]

Thank you to those who answered my question and my heartfelt thanks to all who have served!

 

[Star Wolf]

to add to what has been said:

We typically used "Enter" instead of "Come", but the exact same intonation and use. (Army early part of this decade). Some of the more senior NCOs and Officers occasionally used "Come" but I think the younger-crowd mentally went straight for the gutter with it, so it fell out of favor.

Or with the US military's mildly southern accent instead of Picard's "make it so" you might have "get er done"