Why do american soldiers allways shout 'hurrah' after every order they are given?

Question

With all due respect it kind of sounds gay.

Is it just in the movies???

Answer 1

You mean Hooah. Ha ha. Hooah is a word used only by Army dorks. You know how in school there was the one kid who was always the brown noser? If that kid grew up and joined the Army, he says Hooah. Sometimes the people in my unit say it as a joke, but thats it. It is also said in basic a lot, but thats just part of the spirit breaking process. Once you graduate from training, you are expected to stop acting like such a douche.

Or, you may be thinking of Hoorah, which is the Marines version of Hooah. Sounds slightly different, means the same thing. Its basicly a mean everything word, mostly meaning either "I understand", "I agree", "I'll get right on that" or "Hell yes", but can be applied anywhere, depending on the degree of dorkiness of the user.

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Why do american soldiers allways shout 'hurrah' after every order they are given?
With all due respect it kind of sounds gay.

Answer 3

Hurrah Definition

Answer 4

Define Hurrah

Answer 5

'Hooah' (as far as I know there is no official way to spell it) has become an Army tradition. It is defined as: "A positive response that can mean anything and everything except 'no.'"

For example: Saying Hooah after being given an order means: "I understand your order and I will do it."

Saying Hooah after being told that SGT Jones just had a baby means: "Congratulations!"

Saying Hooah after the boss says something in a meeting means: "I was not paying attention and have no idea what you just said. But want you to think I was paying attention."

(I have said 'Hooah' in meetings myself more than a few times.)

Answer 6

Well actually it is an acronym. People now a days spell or pronounce it has Hooya, Hooah, or from marines Euh Rah. The proper spelling is HUA. It it stands for:
H - Heard
U - Understood
A - Acknowledged

Nope not just in movies, it is still common practice in mainly Army/Marine Corps. Air Force do it when for some unknown reason of thinking they are hard.
Hope that helps.

Answer 7

It isn't hurrah. The Army have a slightly different version, but this began with the Marines in WW I, who stole "urrah," meaning "kill" from some Turkish troops. If you didn't have to contend with those horrible Cockney accents, you mightn't have made the mistake. And I'd suggest you not call any Turkish troops gay, as you'd likely get a knife in your ****.

Answer 8

It's not "hurrah" as you suggest. It's "HOOAH!" It's shouted loudly and with much force from the gut. To the best of my knowledge, it started in the Airborne and Special Forces units, then made its way out into the rest of the Army. It's meant to promote cameraderie and teamwork as well as a sense of pride in one's unit. Another reason Soldiers use it is because it acknowledges that you understand what is being told to you. It can be said loudly, in a platoon, company or battalion setting, or it can be said between individuals. For example, if I said to one of my Soldiers, "You need to get this mission done," then he/she would acknowledge me with "hooah." It means that person understood what I just told them. I suppose the whole "gay" thing depends on how you look at it. During my time, we loved using it. Many Soldiers today still love using. It's just a part of everyday Army life, I guess.

Answer 9

Comrades.
Is it hurrah or HOOAH (Ranger)- you are referring too? There is also the famous Devil Dog bark - USMC and many other calls belted out with well deserved honor.
(Something more familiar may be the same reasoning as the "Go Team" after a sports team huddle.)
Great respect is due.
P.S. What does "sounds gay" mean? Do you mean it sounds out of the ordinary? It is actually quite common all over in American society. People cheer for groups all of the time from companies to sports.

Answer 10

I think that it's so the person that's speaking knows that everyone is listening to them. Then, you always have to do it again and louder in order to "pump you up". Personally, I think it's just another one of those things you do in training to help make you a team and do lots of things together, even if it's saying hoorah.

Answer 11

You have been watching entirely too many movies...

Edit: Okay, it's not JUST in the movies. But we certainly don't stand around shoutin in each other's faces. This would NOT be a sample of a conversation:

Me: "Hey Sargeant, could you input this into the tracker?"
Sargeant: "HURRAH! (Or Hooah, as the case may be).

For training, of course, this is different, though you still don't shout after EVERY order.