Oorah, Sir!
December 11, 2002

If you've never had the opportunity to spend some time around Marines, especially young Marines, it is truly a delightful experience!

There is a phrase that Marines use today as a means of communicating that only young, hard-chargers would use in general conversation. As I walk around the various spaces where the Marines of the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) work, I always marvel at the respect Marines exhibit. Saluting is one of the primary ways of showing that respect. Then there is a verbal greeting that goes along with the salute, such as "Good morning, Sir." The officer returns the salute and says something like, "Good Morning, Marine."

In more recent years a sound has become common among Marines to convey a variety of thoughts or emotions. That sound is "Oorah." This originated with the Recon Marines, a specialized unit that developed this sound for motivational purposes. Over the years it has spread across the Marine Corps. So when I walk down the sidewalk and see a Marine coming toward me, the usual form today is the salute, followed by, "Oorah, Sir," or "Oorah, Chaplain." I, in turn, return the salute and say, "Oorah, Marine." There is then a magical, almost mystical connection that takes place between the two of us, people who wear the same uniform, people who share the same dangers and hardships together if need be.

There are variations and modifications of "Oorah." It is likely you'll hear a shorter sound such as "Rah," or the less ubiquitous "Ur." Both these terms mean the same thing and are derived from "Oorah." It has numerous uses, therefore a host of meanings, so it is hard to limit it in conversational extrapolation.

So ingrained is this grunting sound that before I was called back to active duty last month, at work in my office at the Free Methodist Church, I've been known to respond to Gayle, my secretary, with "Rah." At first she used to look at me very strangely, but she has since accepted this growling-grunt as an indication that I agree with whatever she's just told me.

Gayle has also learned to tell time on the 24-hour system, which is the way the military tells time. I might say, "Gayle, I have a fifteen hundred (1500, not 15:00) appointment today." She would then hold up her fingers and count till she figured out that fifteen hundred is military-speak for three o'clock in the afternoon. These and many other quirks that I have are part of the cross she has learned to bear in working for a pastor who has twenty-eight years in the military.

Once, as the workday was drawing to an end, I said, "Gayle, it's 1630. Let's call it a day." I can't be absolutely certain, but I thought I heard from her office a faint, "Oorah."