Why do Marines say hoo ra?

Answer 1

The Marines actually say "Ooh-Rah. There is no "H" sound.

Wikipedia states:

Urah or Ooh-rah is a spirited cry common to United States Marines since the mid-20th century. It is comparable to the Hooah cry used in the Army or Hooyah by the Navy SEALs. It is most commonly used to respond to a verbal greeting or as an expression of enthusiasm.

As background, Ooh Rah is an expression of many meanings. Foremost, Ooh-Rah is an expression of Marine solidarity. It normally indicates team buy-in to an action/mission/task/situation. Whenever an order is received from a superior, a Marine acknowledges understanding with a Navy "Aye-aye." An accompanying Marine "Ooh-Rah" indicates solidarity among those who must actually do it. It can simultaneously serve as an expression by fellow Marines of motivational encouragement from those who do not have to do it. Ooh-Rah can be used to express solidarity to persevere when the situation is becoming grim. In that same vein, is the use of Ooh-Rah to encourage team members to "suck it up" as a means of reminding all that they share the same situation. Ooh-Rah can be heard from fellow marines when one is singled out for achievement. In that context, it means "Way to go!, but don't forget who has your back." Thus the awardee maybe heard to Ooh-Rah in response to acknowledge team support for their achievement. A cultural caveat is: Do not Ooh-Rah anybody if you are not a Marine. You will probably say it wrong. Regardless, once outed, you will be resented. Exceptions: 1) Navy Medical Personnel who have served with the Marines as Marines (i.e., wore Marine Green vs Navy Blue uniforms). 2) Navy and Marine Pilots (most from both groups go through officer candidate training with Marine Drill Instructors). 3) Any fellow service member, when used to acknowledge the superb achievement of a Marine.

There could be a couple of reasons behind the thought that there is an "h" sound. First, a lot of people know the military song, "When Johnny Comes Marching Home," which at one point refers to troops saying "Hurrah! Hurrah!" But the rest of the lyrics show it to be everyone saying it, as a basic cheer. And anyway, since it was a Civil War song, it was originally just an Army song.

Second, the popular film, "Scent of a Woman" featured Al Pacino as a military veteran who frequently used the term, "Hoo-Ah," which Wikipedia states is military slang meaning pretty much anything other than "No," but notes it is said primarily by U.S. Army personnel. Al Pacino's character in that film was, in fact, a retired Army Colonel.