How Far is a “Klick” in the Military?
How Far is a “Klick” in the Military?Answer: In military terms, a “klick” means a distance of 1000 meters (one kilometer, or .62 miles). So, if a Soldier radios, “We’re 10 klicks south of your position,” that means they are 10 kilometers away, or 6.2 miles away. Most historians concur that the term first came into wide use in the U.S. Military during the Vietnam War. However, the exact origin of the term is lost. My friend Robert States disagrees with that. Robert was stationed in Germany from 1962 through 1966 and says that they used the term “Klick” all the time to denote the European “Kilometer.” So, its possible the term originated in Europe, and migrated to U.S. Military use elsewhere, such as Vietnam. Some military historians believe that the term originated in Vietnam with the Australian Infantry. As the story goes, infantry soldiers would navigate by bearing (compass direction) and would measure distance by pacing (this was, of course, prior today’s magical GPS devices). In ord
