Why do people say 'Roger that'? Who was Roger?

Have you ever noticed how people in movies, especially those in airplanes and military settings, rarely say “Okay, got it”? Instead, they say one crisp, confident “Roger that.”It sounds professional, almost cinematic, ready for a hero-moment. But the word raises an obvious question: who exactly is Roger?As it turns out, there is no Roger to thank. The word has its roots in the early days of radio communication, when being understood was far more difficult than it is today.The problem with early radioIn the early 20th century, radio communication was still unreliable. Signals could be weak, voices could become distorted and static could swallow parts of a message. In situations where a misunderstood instruction could have serious consequences, lengthy responses were not particularly useful. Communication needed to be short, clear and difficult to mistake.That is where the letter “R” came in.