|
By SGT Michael Volkin
HOOAH, one of the most widely used military acronyms of all
times, and no one can agree on its spelling, origin, or for
that matter, or even on its meaning for that matter.
Undoubtedly it
will be the first acronym you will hear as you arrive at Basic
Training. You will hear thousands of new soldiers utter the
acronym, whisper it, shout it and even sing it. But what exactly
does it mean? Heck, is it even an acronym at all?
I have scoured
the Internet, referenced books, and asked military scholars.
Only one conclusion has come from my research: There is no
known origin for the meaning of hooah; many have opinions
but there is no single theory.
Personally, when
I went through Basic Training, I was taught the acronym HUA
stood for I hear you, I understand you, and I acknowledge
your statement. Urbandictionary.com claims the term hooah
was originally used by the British in the late 1800's in Afghanistan;
then, more recently adopted by the United States Army to indicate
an affirmative or a pleased response. The book Absolutely
American: Culture War at West Point defines huah as "an
all-purpose expression"… if you "want to describe
a cadet who's very gung-ho, you call them huah"… if you
"understand instructions, say huah"… if you "agree
with what another cadet just said, murmur huah". Perhaps
the broadest definition I have found in my research might
very well be the best, and even most comical definition. If
I had a prize to award, I would give it to The Department
of Military Science and Leadership, University of Tennessee
who claim HOOAH "refers to or means anything except no.
"So while
military experts and personnel alike disagree on the term,
spelling, origin and meaning of HUA, huah, hooah, etc, it
remains to be widely used throughout the military. Regardless
of it's meaning, a common aspect encompasses each of the definitions
for this term. The term is an expression of high morale, confidence,
motivation and spirit.
SGT Michael Volkin
is the author of The Ultimate Basic Training Guidebook, available
in both paperback and e-book format at www.ultimatebasictrainingguidebook.com.
Go BACK
|
