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usmc4669
02-21-04, 05:06 PM
THE DEFINITION AND HISTORY OF 'OORAH'
Where did it come from.

thedrifter
02-21-04, 05:31 PM
Right after Korea, in 1953, the 1st Amphibious Reconnaissance Company, FMFFac is credited with the birth of "OORAH" in the Corps.

Specifically, where it came from was when Recon Marines were aboard the Submarine USS PERCH, ASSP-313. The PERCH was an old WWII diesel boat retrofitted to carry UDT and Amphib Recon Marines. If you remember the old war movies, whenever the boat was to dive, you heard on the PA system, "DIVE, DIVE", and you heard the horn sound "AARUGHA" like an old Model "A" horn.

Sometime in 1953 or 1954, 1st Amphib Recon Marines, while on a conditioning run on land singing chants, someone imitated the "Dive" horn sound "AARUGHA", and it naturally became a Recon Warrior chant or mantra while on runs. It is sort of like the martial arts yell and adds a positive inference to the action. And this became part of Recon lexicon.

Former SgtMaj of the Marine Corps, John Massaro, was the company gunny of 1st Force in the late '50s and when he transferred to MCRDSD as an instructor at DI school, he took "AARUGHA" with him and passed it on to the DI students and they, in turn, passed it on to recruits.

Just as "Gung Ho" became a symbolic of the WWII Raiders, so did "AARUGHA" become part of the new "running Marine Corps."

Over time, "AARUGHA" eventually changed to "OORAH." The official Marine Corps Training Reference Manual on the history of Marine Recon is titled "AARUGHA," giving credence on the origination of the "positive response" accenting anything that is meant to be good and uniquely Marine Corps.

It is part of the Marine Corps language like "Pogey Bait," "SOS," etc.

TracGunny
02-21-04, 05:36 PM
drifter:

Okay, where did you find that... This was one of those questions my Internet searches had failed me...

thedrifter
02-21-04, 05:41 PM
TracGunny

You can read a little more info here....

http://www.angelfire.com/ca/dickg/oohrah.html


Sempers,

Roger

greensideout
02-21-04, 07:43 PM
"Pogey Bait"---lol

I had not heard that from someone's mouth in years until I was moved to a new location to do some work. The fellow I was to work with is a Nam Marine too. We were talking and he said "Pogey Bait". I grinned ear to ear just hearing it again.

usmc4669
02-21-04, 08:15 PM
I called this old Marine friend of mine tonight and ask him if he knew when oorah was first used; this is what he told me, now listen up; he told me that his dad was in China and that oohrah was Chinese, when they saw a group of Marines coming they would all at the same time yell oorah here comes those damn Marines, Ask him what did oorah mean in Chinese and he replied ohsh!t!! Now you know.

yellowwing
02-21-04, 10:01 PM
Pogey Bait - The Sunday liberty we had before graduations, my buddy and I found a coke machine. I have forgotten how we optained currency, but we walked up to the machine and purchased a coca-cola. Pure ice cold sugar water after 12 1/2 weeks of Puritanism! It was so good that we stood there and drank a second one. The coca-cola people could have made a commercial. :)

rsta
02-22-04, 04:19 AM
Pogey bait - you can get that in the gedunk!

Ya know, maybe it's just me, or my memory is worse than I think it is cause sometimes I'm pretty forgetful when it comes to remembering, but I don't recall hearing "oorah" when I was in the Corps. We certainly never used it at MCRD, that I would remember. I was in during the latter 60's. Let me know, is it just me? I'm starting to feel like I missed something.

Semper Fi to all!

Bob