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{{for|the organization|Oorah (organization)}}
 
'''''Oorah''''' is a [[battle cry]] common in the [[United States Marine Corps]] since the mid-20th century. It is comparable to [[Hooah]] in the [[United States Army]], the [[United States Air Force]], and the [[United States Space Force]], or [[Hooyah]] in the [[United States Navy]] and the [[United States Coast Guard]].
 
Several anecdotes attributed the phrase to [[John R. Massaro]]'s time as a [[gunnery sergeant]] in the [[1st Reconnaissance Battalion|Reconnaissance Company]], [[1st Marine Division]], in the mid-1950s.<ref name=Fuentes>Gidget Fuentes, [https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2015/11/10/the-marine-sergeant-major-behind-the-oorah-battle-cry/ The Marine sergeant major behind the 'oorah' battle cry], ''[[Marine Corps Times]]'' (November 10, 2015).</ref> Massaro (who later became [[sergeant major of the Marine Corps]]) and other Marines who trained aboard the ''[[USS Perch (SS-313)|USS Perch]]'' submarine, beginning in 1949, used ''oorah'' in imitation of the vessel's [[klaxon]] horn (which sounded like ''arrugah'').<ref name=Fuentes/> Others have attributed the phrase's popularization to Massaro's subsequent time at [[Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego]], where use of the word spread.<ref name=Fuentes/> However, Massaro has said that he did not originate the word (saying in 2015: "It was a phrase or a term originally coming from boarding a ship") and that the word was already in use in 1949.<ref name=Fuentes/>
==Origins==
{{See also|United States Marine Corps Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion}}
 
There are several potential sources from which the word "oorah" may have originated.
 
* Turkish:
** The term may have been derived from the [[Ottoman Turkish language|Ottoman Turkish]] phrase "vur ha" translated as "strike" or the [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]] word "urakh" meaning "rip off". It was used as a battle cry of the [[Ottoman Empire]] army and adapted as a [[Armed forces of Russia|Russian]] battle cry "ura".<ref>{{cite web |title=A Little Marine Corps History |url=http://www.mcleague.com/mdp/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=print&ceid=46 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203050514/http://www.mcleague.com/mdp/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=print&ceid=46 |archive-date=3 December 2013 |department=National Headquarters |publisher=[[Marine Corps League]] |access-date=2009-02-13 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
** 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 [the] West... 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]]", traditionally said during salutes.
* In [[World War II]] injured US Marines were treated in northern Australia. The term 'OoRah' is said to be local slang for 'farewell' or 'until then',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://usmilitary.about.com/od/jointservices/a/hooah.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304192209/http://usmilitary.about.com/od/jointservices/a/hooah.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 March 2016|title=Hooah - Origins of the Term in the U.S. Military|date=4 March 2016}}</ref> although it is likely to be a mishearing of the more common 'ooroo'.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/newsradio/txt/s1380439.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140731193831/http://www.abc.net.au/newsradio/txt/s1380439.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=31 July 2014|title=ABC NewsRadio: wordwatch, Hooroo|website=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |date=31 July 2014}}</ref>
* The [[United States Marine Corps Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion|1st Amphibious Reconnaissance Company]], [[United States Marine Corps Forces Pacific|FMFPAC]] can be credited with the introduction of "Oo-rah!" into the [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] in 1953, shortly after the [[Korean War]].{{Citation needed|reason=August, 2010|date=August 2010}} Recon Marines served aboard the [[USS Perch (SS-313)|USS ''Perch'' (ASSP-313)]], a WWII–era diesel [[submarine]] [[USS Perch (SS-313)#Conversion to transport submarine; Korean War|retrofitted]] to carry Navy [[Underwater Demolition Team]]s and [[United States Marine Corps Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion|Recon Marines]]. Whenever the boat was to dive, the [[1MC]] (PA system) would announce "DIVE! DIVE!", followed by the sound of the diving [[klaxon]]: "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 [[Military cadence|cadence]]. Legend has it, he took it with him when he went to serve as an instructor at the [[Drill Instructor]] school at [[Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego]]. 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.forcerecon.com/amphibrecondiary2.html |title=From one era to another...|publisher=Force Recon Association|access-date=2009-02-13}}</ref> 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==
 
{{Refimprove section|date=September 2017}}
* "Hoorah" is also used by [[United States Navy]] [[United States Navy Hospital Corpsman|Hospital Corpsmen]], [[Master-at-arms (United States Navy)|Masters-at-Arms]], and [[Seabee (US Navy)|Seabees]] 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 "[[Huzzah|Hura]]" is the battle cry of the [[Russian Armed Forces]], as well the [[Soviet Armed Forces]] and [[Red Army]] that preceded it. Its usage dates back to the [[Medieval]] era, derived from the Mongolian phrase ''hurray'', meaning "to move" or "to attack". Mostly used during [[World War II]], it is still used during military parades and [[Victory Day]] celebrations by all branches of the Russian military as well as most armed forces of the [[Commonwealth of Independent States]] and in the [[Bulgarian Armed Forces]]. 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]] version of the Soviet-era ''"Ura"'' that is used by personnel of the [[Defense Forces of Georgia]] during official parades.
* [[Oorah (organization)|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.
 
==See also==
* Boo-yah!, a catchphrase popularized by sportscaster [[Stuart Scott]] in the 1990s
* [[Hooah]]
* [[Hooyah]]
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==References==
{{Reflist}}
 
==External links==
* {{cite web|url=https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/gunnygsusmcoohrahforum/oohrah-and-other-things-that-go-bump-in-the-night-t12456.html#p16146 |title=OOHRAH, and other things that go bump in the night... |last=Gaines |first=R.W. "Dick" |publisher=Gunny G's GLOBE and ANCHOR |access-date=2009-02-13}}
 
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