Today I am going to be talking about a word that has not left my vocabulary even though I have been out of the Military for several years now. This was a word that was introduced to me in Basic Training, and the beauty of this word is that it has so many different meanings and can be used in so many different contexts. That is what has made this word a famous word in the Military and also the Army. The word is “Hooah.” How do you spell it? The only thing I can think of is “H-O-O-A-H.” In the Marine Corps you probably heard it called as “Hoo-rah,” but in the Army it is “Hooah.” There is no “r.” No disrespect to the Marine Corps, but that is just how we do it.
Um…You Okay?
When I first heard the word “Hooah,” I was like, “What? What are you doing? Are you trying to pass a kidney stone?” I really didn’t get it. But then through Basic Training and through our Infantry Training, “Hooah” became a staple of our vocabulary. You will notice in the Soldier of Finance book I use it. I use it a lot just as a motivational tool. Just this past week I ran in the Urbanathlon, and I remember there was a volunteer on the side of the road asking, “Are you guys motivated?” I was the only guy who screamed this, but I yelled “Hooah!” I am sure people were like, “What? What the heck is this guy’s problem?”
Are You Motivated? Hooah!
Anyway, I just want to introduce the word “Hooah” and what it means and why it is such a frequently recurring word in the Soldier of Finance book and also the blog. So, “Hooah” for the most part is used as a motivator. Our drill sergeants would always yell at us, “Soldiers, are you motivated?”
“Hooah, Drill Sergeant!”
And, that was it. It was always just this sense of such a motivating word. Everytime they asked, “Are you motivated? Are you motivated?” It was always, “Hooah! Hooah!”
“Hooah!” was something that was used as a motivator. As it became part of our daily vocabulary or our daily routine, we could start using it in other different contexts. For example, we could use it to ask a question. We could be like “Hooah?” It’s always in the tone of how you say it. You could also be sarcastic. “Soldier, did you get that done?” “Hooah.” So, as you can see there are a lot of different ways you can use it. We used it for a variety of things and just had a lot of fun with it.
Need a Recharge
For the most part I want you to use it as a motivator if you need a recharge. If you are in the Soldier of Finance process and you are just struggling because you are trying to pay the bills and you just don’t know how you are going to do it and you just don’t feel like you are making any progress, maybe you just need to look in the mirror and just give yourself a big “Hooah! You can do this! Hooah! You can pay off this debt! Hooah! You can get your emergency fund where it needs to be! Hooah!”
A lot of people ask me, “What is ‘Hooah?’” A lot of people don’t know how to spell it. They don’t know how it sounds. But, that’s it. That’s the warrior infantry war cry “Hooah!” So, this is Jeff Rose SoldierOfFinance.com. I’ll see you next time.
My name is Jeff Rose and in my life I've trained with the U.S. Army to be an Infantry soldier. In my professional career I've trained to be a financial planner. The recent financial catastrophe brings to light how so many people have become victims of their poor financial management. I combine the discipline of my army training with the rigors of my financial planning experience to help people do something about it. I want to help you become a Soldier of Finance and take control of your life and personal finance today. To read more about me, please check out my