Where did the saying "Geronimo!" come from?

Question

My brother is writing a report and needs to know.

Answer 1

I don't know about the other answers, they do all sound plausible, but one thing was left out. Before the invasion into Fortress Europa (D-Day) the German high command told all of the populace that the americans were a bunch of blood thristy savages in order to frighten them into either not helping them or to tell german troops in the area about where they had seen them, So of course what did the paratroopers do...they shaved their heads into mohawks and painted their faces like Indian warriors. So on June 5th what the residents of Normandy and the German troops saw was a bunch of pissed off Indians falling out of the sky and causing havoc across the countryside. That goes into another saying though. That one is called the "Rule of the LGOPs" (little groups of paratroopers). that ones entails that there is nothing more dangerous than a small group of highly trained, scared, pissed off, under age boys with no adult supervision and automatic weapons.

Answer 2

Try this out for size.

: Can anyone tell me why paratroopers shout "Geronimo"? I've been looking and looking for the origin, and I'm about to die of curiosity!
: AM

GERONIMO - From the "Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins" (Second Edition, HarperCollins, 1977) by William and Mary Morris: "From the earliest wars in recorded history, men have plunged into battle shouting battle cries. Indeed, our common word 'slogan' was originally the Gaelic 'sluggh-ghairm,' meaning the call to battle used by Scottish Highlanders and Irish clan. One of the most interesting of these cries is that used by the U.S. airborne paratroopers: 'Geronimo!'

When we speculated in print on why our soldiers use the name of a dead Apache chieftain for their slogan, several alumni of airborne regiments reported stories of its origin. A plausible one came from Arthur A. Manion. 'At Fort Sill, Oklahoma,' he wrote, 'a series of rather steep hills, called, I believe, Medicine Bluffs, was pointed out to all new arrivals. It was said that one day Geronimo, with the army in hot pursuit, made a leap on horseback down an almost vertical cliff - a feat that the posse could not duplicate. The legend continues that in the midst of this jump to freedom he gave out the bloodcurdling cry of 'Geronimo-o-o!' Hence the practice adopted by our paratroopers. I hope this helps. It's at least colorful, if not authentic.'

Another correspondent, who once lived at Fort Sill, added the information that the bluff from which Geronimo made his daring leap 'is a cliff overlooking a small river.' So we know that Geronimo and his steed had water, rather than desert floor, to break their fall. Now, this is indeed an interesting tale and one that may very well be the real inspiration for the paratroopers were trained at Forts Bragg and Campbell. Why, then, did they reach to Fort Sill for inspiration for their battle cry?

R. Collier of Milwaukee offered a less glamorous but probably more accurate account of the origin of the call. 'In the early days of the 82nd Airborne,' he wrote, 'the men used to go to the nearby movie in Lafayetteville. During the week scheduled for the division's initial jumps, they saw a movie named 'Geronimo.' (If that wasn't the title, at least the Indian chief played a leading part.) Anyway, one guy hollered the name and one of those things no one can explain happened. The whole division took it up and from them it spread to the later-activated airborne forces.'"

Answer 3

http://www.parachutehistory.com/about.html
Tells the story of how the word became used in the 101st Airborne 501st PIR

http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Inf/501st%20Infantry%20Regiment.htm

Shows that it will always be that way

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0031365/
Shows us the exact movie that was playing


Some good answers:

Currahee is the Regiment Motto and is the American aboriginal Cherokee Indian equivalent for "Stands Alone." The 506th was the sixth parachute regiment constituted in the US Army.

We like Native American names.


Figured you'd like this from a "source"

Answer 4

Geronimo was a Sioux indian chief in the 19th century that was famous for his charges on the U.S. Calvary.

Answer 5

Check this site out:

http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/2/messages/175.html