''Oorah'' is a

battle cry A battle cry or war cry is a yell or chant taken up in battle, usually by members of the same combatant group. Battle cries are not necessarily articulate (e.g. "Eulaliaaaa!", "Alala"..), although they often aim to invoke patriotic or religious ...

common in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through c ...

since the mid-20th century. It is comparable to

Hooah Hooah is a battle cry used by members of the United States Army, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Space Force. Originally spelled "Hough", the battle cry was first used by members of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment during the Second Seminole War in 1841, ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

, the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

, and the

United States Space Force The United States Space Force (USSF) is the space service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and the world's only independent space force. Along with its sister branch, the U.S. Air Force, the Spa ...

, or

Hooyah Hooyah is the battle cry used in the United States Navy and the United States Coast Guard to build morale and signify verbal acknowledgment. It originated with special forces communities, especially the Navy SEALs, and was subsequently adopted by ot ...

in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, ...

Origins

There are several potential sources from which the word "oorah" may have originated. * Turkish: ** The term may have been derived from the

Ottoman Turkish Ottoman Turkish ( ota, لِسانِ عُثمانى, Lisân-ı Osmânî, ; tr, Osmanlı Türkçesi) was the standardized register of the Turkish language used by the citizens of the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed ext ...

phrase "vur ha" translated as "strike" or the Mongolian word "urakh" meaning "rip off". It was used as a battle cry of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

army and adapted as a Russian battle cry "ura". ** According to Jean Paul Roux the word "Hurrah" comes from Old Turkic, in use until medieval times. In his book, History of Turks he states: "For example, while attacking to their enemies, they (Turks) used to shout "Ur Ah!" which means "Come on, hit!" (in modern Turkish "Vur Hadi!") Then this exclamation turned into "Hurrah!" in heWest... The difference represents diachronic change in the phonology and verbal usage in Turkish. The verb for "to hit" or "to strike" was urmak, which became vurmak in Modern Turkish. Moreover, a former subjunctive imperative verbal ending of e/a is not productive in Modern Turkish. Therefore, "ura", meaning "may it hit", which would have changed phonetically to "vura" in Modern Turkish, is expressed with "vursun". * Mongolian: ** The term may have come from warriors of Ancient Hun or of Mongolian Empire "hurray" meaning "to move attack" or "appeal for goodness", which was formed into "(h)urra" in Russian with same meaning, and from which the Mongolia "Uria" (callings or slogans) comes from. "Hurray and Uria" words are used today in Mongolia from the ancient soldiers. ** Jack Weatherford asserts that it comes from the Mongolian "hurree", used by Mongol armies and spread throughout the world during the Mongol Empire of the 13th century, but he does not appear to present any supporting evidence. Weatherford says that in Mongolian "hurree" is a sacred praise much like amen or hallelujah. * Germanic: ** The term may have come from Middle High German of 1580–1590 "hurren" meaning "to move fast", which was formed into "hurra" and from which the English "hurry" comes. It is still used in the Netherlands and Dutch-speaking Belgium during celebrations in the form of "hoera", as well as in Sweden, Norway and Denmark as "hurra". * The term may be a variation of 18th century sailors exclamation "

huzzah Huzzah (sometimes written ''hazzah''; originally spelled huzza and pronounced huz-ZAY, now often pronounced as huz-ZAH; in most modern varieties of English hurrah or hooray) is, according to the '' Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED''), "appa ...

", traditionally said during salutes. * In

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

injured US Marines were treated in northern Australia. The term 'OoRah' is said to be local slang for 'farewell' or 'until then', although it is likely to be a mishearing of the more common 'ooroo'. * The 1st Amphibious Reconnaissance Company, FMFPAC can be credited with the introduction of "Oo-rah!" into the

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

in 1953, shortly after the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

. Recon Marines served aboard the USS ''Perch'' (ASSP-313), a WWII–era diesel

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely o ...

retrofitted Retrofitting is the addition of new technology or features to older systems. Retrofits can happen for a number of reasons, for example with big capital expenditures like naval vessels, military equipment or manufacturing plants, businesses or go ...

to carry Navy

Underwater Demolition Team Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT), or frogmen, were amphibious units created by the United States Navy during World War II with specialized non-tactical missions. They were predecessors of the navy's current SEAL teams. Their primary WWII fun ...

s and Recon Marines. Whenever the boat was to dive, the

1MC 1 Main Circuit (1MC) is the term for the shipboard public address circuits on United States Navy and United States Coast Guard vessels. This provides a means of transmitting general information and orders to all internal ship spaces and topsi ...

(PA system) would announce "DIVE! DIVE!", followed by the sound of the diving

klaxon A horn is a sound-making device that can be equipped to motor vehicles, buses, bicycles, trains, trams (otherwise known as streetcars in North America), and other types of vehicles. The sound made usually resembles a "honk" (older vehicles) or a ...

: "AHUGA!" In 1953 or 1954, while on a conditioning run, former Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps John R. Massaro, while serving as company Gunnery Sergeant of 1st Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion, simulated the "Dive" horn sound "AHUGA!" as part of the

cadence In Western musical theory, a cadence (Latin ''cadentia'', "a falling") is the end of a phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards. Don Michael Randel (1 ...

. Legend has it, he took it with him when he went to serve as an instructor at the

Drill Instructor A drill instructor is a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces, fire department, or police forces with specific duties that vary by country. Foot drill, military step, and marching are typically taught by drill instructors. Australia Au ...

school at

Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot (commonly referred to as MCRD) San Diego is a United States Marine Corps military installation in San Diego, California. It lies between San Diego Bay and Interstate 5, adjacent to San Diego International Airport an ...

. He there passed it on to the Drill Instructor students and they, in turn, passed it on to their recruits where it eventually and naturally became a part of the Recon cadence, and thereafter infiltrated Recon Marine lexicon. Over time, "AHUGA!" morphed into the shorter, simpler "Oo Rah!" Today, the official Marine Corps Training Reference Manual on the history of Marine Recon is titled "AHUGA!" Marines are known to exclaim "Oorah" with a exaggerated growl to sound like a vicious canine. This growl/bark is representative of the nickname "Devil-Dogs," as Marines are known. The bark is similar in sound to the short bark of their official mascot, the Bulldog.

Other uses

* "Hoorah" is also used by

Hospital Corpsmen A hospital corpsman (HM r corpsman is an enlisted medical specialist of the United States Navy, who may also serve in a U.S. Marine Corps unit. The corresponding rating within the United States Coast Guard is health services technician (H ...

, Masters-at-Arms, and

Seabees United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, form the U.S. Naval Construction Force (NCF). The Seabee nickname is a heterograph of the initial letters "CB" from the words "Construction Battalion". Depending upon ...

because of their close association with the Marine Corps. *"Urrà" is traditionally the war cry of the Italian Army Bersaglieri Corps, since their return from the Crimean War. It is speculated that it comes from the Cossacks whose battle cry was Gu-Rai! which meant "Towards the bliss of heaven!" * "Ura" or "

Hura Hura, or Houra ( he, חוּרָה, ar, حورة) is a Bedouin town in the Southern District of Israel. It is located near Beersheba and beside the town Meitar. The town was established in 1989 as a part of solution offered by the state for th ...

" is the battle cry of the

Russian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (, ), commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military forces of Russia. In terms of active-duty personnel, they are the world's fifth-largest military force, with at least two ...

, as well the

Soviet Armed Forces The Soviet Armed Forces, the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union and as the Red Army (, Вооружённые Силы Советского Союза), were the armed forces of the Russian SFSR (1917–1922), the Soviet Union (1922–1991), and th ...

and

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

that preceded it. Its usage dates back to the

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

era, derived from the Mongolian phrase ''hurray'', meaning "to move" or "to attack". Mostly used during

, it is still used during military parades and

Victory Day Victory Day is a commonly used name for public holidays in various countries, where it commemorates a nation's triumph over a hostile force in a war or the liberation of a country from hostile occupation. In many cases, multiple countries may ob ...

celebrations by all branches of the Russian military as well as most armed forces of the

Commonwealth of Independent States The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010 ...

and in the

Bulgarian Armed Forces The Bulgarian Army ( bg, Българска армия, Bŭlgarska armiya) is the military of Bulgaria. The commander-in-chief is the president of Bulgaria. The Ministry of Defense is responsible for political leadership, while overall military ...

. It was and is also used as a patriotic phrase denoting respect to the military as well as the country itself. * "Vashaa" (ვაშა) is the

Georgian language Georgian (, , ) is the most widely-spoken Kartvelian language, and serves as the literary language or lingua franca for speakers of related languages. It is the official language of Georgia and the native or primary language of 87.6% of it ...

version of the Soviet-era ''"Ura"'' that is used by personnel of the

Defense Forces of Georgia The Defence Forces of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს თავდაცვის ძალები, tr), or Georgian Defence Forces (GDF), are the combined military forces of Georgia, tasked with the defense of the nation's indep ...

during official parades. * Oorah is the name of a Jewish non-profit in the United States. * "Rah" is a shortened form of the word, typically said in greeting or in agreement, used in a more casual tone.

References

External links

* {{US Marine Corps navbox Battle cries Interjections Military slang and jargon United States Marine Corps lore and symbols English words

Origins

Other uses

See also

References

External links