Legend Has It
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SIR... In reply to some of the questions about where the word Ooorah may have originated... After a lot of research this explanation seems to be very good possibility... If anyone reads this and knows these facts not to be true please feel free to correct me...
It seems 1st Amphibious Recon can be credited with introduction of Ooorah sometime around 1953... Shortly after the Korean War Recon. Marines were serving aboard the USS Perch, a WW11 diesel Submarine retrofitted to carry Navy UDT and Recon Marines...
Whenever the Sub was to dive the 1MC would announce "Dive Dive"
followed by the AHUGA-AHUGA of the ships diving horns...
In 1953 or 54 while on a conditioning run Sgt. Major John R.
Massaro serving with the 1st Amphibious Recon Battalion simulated the AHUGA as part of the cadence... Legend has it he took it with him when he went to serve as Instructor at Drill Instructor School at San Diego, there he passed it on to the student D.I.s who in turn passed it on to their recruits where it eventually became part of Recon cadence...
Overtime the AHUGA sound morphed into OOORAH... Today the Official Marine Corps Reference Manual on the history of the Corps is titled... AHUGA...
Howard W.Kennedy USMC 1956 1962
Discussion
Larry DEl Pizzo January 26 2012, 5:27 pm
Sgt. Grit, at the last Marine Corps. ball held by Fox Co. 4th LAV 4th Marine Division Reserve, My son who is a SSGT. of Marines presented me with a plaque, on that plaque was attached a brick from Bldg. 422 Third Recruit Training Bn. Parris Island. The old third Bn. in being raised. This plaque has a sentimental value to me as it was from Bldg.422 that I graduated from Basic in 1967. My only wish was if I could secure several thousand bricks from the Third Bn. area and mounted them on plaques, Marines who passed through 3rd Bn. Might like to have one if for no other reason than to throw it at something or someone.
Semper Fi!
Larry Del Pizzo
Sgt. of Marines
Feb.‘67 to Sept. ‘74
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