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USMC = "OO-rah"

USA = "HOO-ah"

SEALs = HOO yah

The real difference is that in the USMC and USA the calls are mainly sincere calls of gung ho-ness yelled at full cry by true believers.

In the SEALs (after BUD/S training), "hooya" is spoken many way for every situation.

/1/ Pretty girl walks by: "hooooooyaaaaaah" said low and melodically like a wolf whistle.

/2/ A great deal just came up: "HOO F---ING YA!!"

/3/Like "Okay": "hooya" real quick at a talking voice.

/4/ We are getting screwed again by our officers: "HOOO ya" in a borderline overtly sarcastic way.Etc.

SEALs HATE to be seen as "gung ho" and cultivate a jaded "been there done that" blase attitude. You shuffle out the back of a C-130 on a jump like a bored commuter getting off a bus. You never polish your boots until you have been ordered 20 times, and then you do the minimum. As soon as that officer leaves, you put your prized ancient no polish "suede look" jungle boots back on. You keep your faded old jungle cammies at the bottom of a seabag to get them sufficiently soft and wrinkled. The only sharp part of your look that is critical is the Oakley shades. "Personal" headgear and sidearms are de rigeur. Hair must be touching the ears. If you are not warned about the length of your hair and mustache every week at least, you are not trying. As an E-5 you believe that you are worth any five Commanders in the fleet.

You do NOT yell "HOO YA!!!!" in a big group with sincere feelings like the USMC and USA. Never.

I hate to take this topic in yet another direction, but I cannot help thinking that the many times I've heard service members loudly sounding off with this now-popular expression, to ME it sounded as if they were saying "Oo-uh" which is close to the version you give as the Army's version.

When I was in the service, I had NEVER, EVER heard this term used in formations, nor in large gatherings of military personnel.

However, I AM familiar with this phrase for having served in Viet Nam for two years. "Oo-uh" is the Vietnamese for "yeah"; the word for "yes" sounds very different.

I and many others over the years have used the phrase when wanting to simply say "yes" or respond affirmatively, but saying it using this familiar Vietnamese word was a way to "distinguish" (for lack of a better word) ourselves, assert ourselves as part of the brotherhood of Viet Nam veterans, and in a very simple way, remind ourselves of some of the slang we used while stationed in "The 'Nam," as we used to say.

And that's about it. I'm not arguing the point, nor trying to make anyone believe me. I'm just telling you what I think about it.

Oh, and if anyone brings up the topic of the denigrating term, "gook," I have a theory on that too. It's entirely possible that the term originated with Korean War veterans. I say that cause I was stationed in Korea for 5 years, but well after the war ... from '75 to '80.

But my point is that "Korea" is not the Korean word for "Korea." It's "Han gook." You know how the German word for "Germany" is "Deutschland"? Well, the Koreans pronounce the name of their country as "Han gook." Therefore, I'm speculating that some Korean War vets may have referred to Koreans as "gooks" and passing it along to the Viet Nam vets in the early 60's is entirely possible.

Thanks for the chance to post.

Tony Rony