The Army and Marines have something the Navy is missing: special words. Huah is the Army's all purpose word and Oorah is the Marine's. They are words that can mean anything from "I understand" to "Hey numbskull, you had better understand" to goodmorning to "I can't believe what he just told me to do" to you name it. Besides negating the need for thought or vocabulary, these words have a useful purpose when saluting. You can return a salute and acknowledge a soldier in an Army way like you would acknowledge a normal person's "How are you doing" with a completely meaningless "fine." The Navy is just supposed to reply "Good morning," which works for sailors. But junior soldiers will often salute with their unit callsign (a common one is "Hellfire, sir!") or a skill level (Ranger, sir!). Good morning doesn't meet their level of esprit de corps. Commonly they will go overboard with esprit and say "Shoot'em in the face, sir!" which, call me a judger, I think is close to inappropriate. Nonetheless, a smart Navy "Good morning" is not an appropriate response. I am even jealous of the Air Force salute exchange (Enlisted: "Hey, Ben" to which the officer responds "What's goin' on Joe"). It's not extremely motivated, but at least it's not mechanical.
I have considered a sub-related motto: "Shoot'em in the face, sir" to which I would respond "Hide with Pride." Nope, doesn't work.
A nuke response: "Shoot'em in the face, sir!" "Shoot'em in the face, aye." Bam, Bam. " I have shot them in the face." But literal nuclear compliance doesn't always work with motivation.
A calculus teacher response: "You fail."
A daddy response: "Let's try to use kind words, please."
So that's my life experience trying to respond to motivation to soldiers. Doesn't fit out here. My life doesn't fit with the Army Whose idea was it to put sailors with soldiers, again? If I ever meet them Army motivation might be the best response.
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3 comments:
That reminds me so much of how scandalized Ommie would feel when we'd take her to the Sea Breeze on Hickam. She'd see all the AF officer and enlisted ranks lunching together.Thanks for my laugh today. I love you.
i darn near fell off my chair with the verbatim repeat-back of "shoot him in the face, sir."
hilarious.
perhaps you could try a stentorian "very well!" or, if you're feeling particularly out of sorts--and since we are WAY past this region's point of adding heat-- try "the sectarian violence is self-sustaining."
cast off all lines!
Hey, the Army and the Marine Corps need short, guttural, multi-meaning responses. Putting together more than three words taxes their brains.
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