UNDER ESTIMATE

 

Marine etiquette

I was up at Marine Air Corps Station (MCAS) Miramar today and stopped at one of the convenience stores.  As I was coming down an aisle, a Marine was coming down the same aisle towards me.  He didn't see me at first so we ended up doing that "dance" that people sometimes do - you both step to the left, oops, both to the right, back to the left again.  I said, "'Excuse me," as we finally passed each other.  He nodded and said simply, "Oorah."  I was glad we continued walking away from one another, because I didn't want the Marine to see me giggling to myself.  Really?  Oorah?  Not, "Excuse me" or "sorry" or just a smile of resignation, but the famous battle cry of the Corps?

When I told Zac about the encounter, he laughed and noted that for most Marines oorah is probably the first word they think of in any given situation.  One of Zac's friends worked extensively with Marines and he said Marines use oorah it in many contexts, not just when they're being given instructions on how to storm a beach.  But even Zac couldn't help but chuckle that this Marine used oorah as his means of conveying "excuse me" to a 5'2" female in civilian clothes and pigtails.  (It was a bad hair day.)  Even now, a couple of hours later, I can't help but laugh, thinking about the possible contexts in which that Marine has used oorah.  I'm picturing some awkward flirting in bars.