The Army phrase “Hooah” (usually pronounced “HOO-uh”) is a catch all affirmative.
Some soldiers use it more often than others. I use it very sparingly, and almost never on purpose.
I’m walking among the Battalion office containers today when I end up walking with the BTN CDR. We know each other from a number of meetings we both regularly attend, and once months ago he joined me for lunch. I wouldn’t call him a friend by any means, but he’s a good enough guy and has been helpful when I needed him to be.
He uses “Hooah” more than anyone else I regularly encounter.
He nods greeting as I fall in step with him.
Me: How are you, sir?
LTC M: Hooah.
90% of the time, that’s the exact extent and content of our interaction.
Me: You heading over to S-6?
LTC M: Hooah.
Me: Have a good day, sir.
LTC M: Hooah.
If aliens wanted to take over someone and not have to learn our language or customs, they could have much worse plans than to infest my BTN CDR and simply be able to say Hooah. I bet they could get away with it for months.
I split ways with him when we get to the S-6, which is where I check my classified email account. After he leaves I share a laugh with my buddy who works in there, as he knows exactly what I’m talking about regarding LTC M’s penchant.
I start to compare it to the word smurf, which the cartoon Smurfs use to mean any variety of things depending on context, but the word Hooah is not quite so versatile as that. Generally it just means ‘yes’ or ‘affirmative’, though I also often hear it as a means of sounding off during roll calls, or just in general agreement.
The other manner I frequently hear it is in a call-and-response during a meeting, when the person speaking wants to make sure everyone understands. One of the MAJs I work with does that a lot.
MAJ B: We’re going to go through this again, so that everyone understands the process. Hooah?
ALL: Hooah!
The other services have their own similar phrases, I believe. I know the Marines have oorah, though I’ve only heard that once out here, partly owing to the scarcity of Marines in my region and partly due, I think, to the fact that they don’t use it nearly as often.
Personally, I always feel a little weird saying Hooah. It’s more for the soldiers, I think, and I’m sensitive to the perception that I’m ‘playing soldier’ out here. I never joined the military (for many reasons), and I don’t pretend I’m a soldier now. I wear a uniform because I have to, though I am proud of it and the fact that I volunteered to be here.
The soldiers sacrifice a lot more doing what they do, and most of them put themselves in danger I’ll never experience. I went through a fairly intensive course with a number of soldiers and other civilians several years ago. We studied and worked on projects together, and we formed friendships that have lasted years. When one of the girls in my class asked if she was “allowed” to say Hooah, the soldiers laughed and told her they guessed she’d earned it.
I’ll respond to Hooah? with Hooah! and not feel bad about it.
BTN CDR = Battalion CommanderLTC = Lieutenant Colonel
MAJ = Major
