YUT!

I was talking with my dad earlier today about some of the stuff I have been learning about the Marine Corps and I have come to the conclusion that the Marines are seriously a breed of their own.  Somehow, my dad and I got on the topic of where "Oorah" derived. I mean, where did this term come from?! Google has many different answers..is it really a shortened version of the "mocking" of the sound a submarine makes before going under water? Is it just a noise?   Researching all this with my dad reminded me of something from the USMC Ball Matt and I went to this year. The guest speaker of the ceremony read a quote by an anonymous Canadian citizen who talks about the Marines. In it, he mentions the sounds they make and, honestly, as soon as he said it the whole room filled with all sorts of noises (or grunts, if you will): "Oorahh", " 'Rah!", "Errrrr", "YUT!!"  I have to say, this memory always makes me giggle. It always makes me fall in love with the Marine Corps a little more. It's silly, but it's one of those moments..one of those unrehearsed moments..where all the Marines just know..they all came together like a pack of weird animals and grunted one of the four accepted calls (there could be more, but that's what really stuck in my head!).   I asked Matt what "yut!" even means (google gives a few more theories). His answers are usually pretty short, simple and straight to the point and comes with examples that help the lowly citizen understand (that's me.) [ I will insert his answers tomorrow when I can correctly quote him ]    Aaaanyway...I thought it was pretty funny and pretty fantastic to experience some of the nitty gritty of the Devil Dogs. I especially like the quote the speaker used:

Anonymous Canadian Citizen wrote....

"Marines are about the most peculiar breed of human beings I have ever witnessed.  They treat their service as if it were some kind of cult, plastering their emblem on almost everything they own, making themselves up to look like insane fanatics with haircuts to ungentlemanly lengths, worshiping their Commandant almost as if he were a god, and making weird animal noises like a band of savages.  They'll fight like rabid dogs at the drop of a hat just for the sake of a little action, and are the cockiest sons of bitches I have ever known. Most have the foulest mouths and drink well beyond a man's normal limits, but their high spirits and sense of brotherhood set them apart and, generally speaking, the United States Marines I've come in contact with are the most professional soldiers and the finest men I have ever had the pleasure to meet."

Oorah! 'Rah! Errrr! Yut!  Semper Fi...