"Phrase---OOH-RAH-UH-RAH"

[redneck13]

The phrase OOH-RAH or UH-RAH, I hear Marines using it. I also have used it myself. Not sure exactly how to spell it, though. Then the question comes to mind....."Where did it come from?" One or two Marines have told me...."It's a Navy Seal Call." Now of course Gunny Ermy uses it a lot. My Priest a former Naval Chaplain attached to the Corps, uses it. When I was on the Drill Field, 2nd Recruit Bn. above us, when they were dismissed by the Drill Instructor's, they said, "AYE, AYE SIR, OOH-RAH." I had never heard it used before that time, and now it's used by us Marines. So can anyone help me out here? It's a question of...."Who's sayin' is it, Marine's, or Seals?" Be nice now. SF. Bail out.

[jinelson]

I have used the term since the late 1960's and was always told the correct spelling was OORAH!!! I believe that the info below is correct and the best information regarding the origin. I have never heard of a better one that pins it down as specifically.

OK, HERE IT IS! THE DEFINITION AND HISTORY OF 'OORAH'

Right after Korea in 1953 the 1st Amphibious Reconnaissance Company, FMFPAC can be 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 tansferred 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 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 orgination of the 'POSITIVE RESPONSE' accenting anything that is meant to be good and uniquely Marine Corps.

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

OORAH!!!

[kentmitchell]

Well, that's a novel answer, anyway.
I never heard it in my time (56-60) but that doesn't mean anything other than it would come later.
We growled, yelled gung ho or just used a Rebel yell.

[greensideout]

I never heard if it in my time as well, '60-'64. I also question the "Gung Ho" part of the definition and history. If "Gung Ho" came from the Boxer Rebellion how is it then attributed to WW-II Raiders?

[Static_Sky25]

Gung-Ho the phrase came from the boxer rebellion yes, but just as other phrases have been adopted to mean other things so was "gung-ho" during the second World war....

for those who don't know ... Gung-ho translates to "Work together" Col Edison Adopted this motto for his WWII raiders On account that his raiders could do anything as long as they worked together... it was a throwback to unit adhesion he wanted his men to remember that they were much more effective as a whole, not fighting their own "private wars" long story short... it was around but Edison made it fit his needs, and as all specfor operaters he and his men became famous ... so did his mens motto...

Sort of a "there is no I in team" or a "there is no you, me, my, I recruit... you are now just life support for your rifle..."

[DevilPuppy88]

I heard somewhere that OORAH was like turkish or something like that for KILL.