my HOOAH man

My husband was once described as a "Hooah man."


Hooah! is the equivalent of the the Marines'  Oorah! or the Baptists'  Amen! or your 6-year-old's Booyah! It is the quintessential Heck Yeah! of the Army.

Perhaps my husband strikes others as a hooah man because of his intense patriotism. The first time I came to stay with my geographical bachelor after our wedding (I was still living in New Jersey while he was in Texas training for his deployment), I was delighted by all the adorable touches he had added to his apartment so that I would feel right at home: a cozy area rug, Disney princess posters, pictures of his Grandma. I contemplated getting a corporate job and allowing him to be the stay-at-home mom and housemaker. Then, he led me to his bedroom- "our bedroom", he reminded me! A proud light shone from his eyes, and his posture straightened, as I beheld hanging above our bed.... an extremely large American flag. As he fell to sleep that night with his arm locked in a salute, I thought it best not to ask if we would wake by the dawn's early light to the chords of Reveille...

Or, perhaps Dan is a hooah man because he absolutely loves what he does. He can't understand why any other man would NOT want to be paid to run around shooting guns, jump out of planes, and wear the same uniform for months on end. He can't fathom sitting behind a desk or computer when there is a nation to be defended, freedom to be sought, and ruthless enemies to be defeated. His sense of calling to  a cause bigger than himself is deeply rooted.

But, I think the real reason my soldier was called a hooah man is because he has the most endearing habit of shouting "Hooah!" at every reasonable place in a conversation. There are many types of hooahs. There is the choral hooah shouted by comrades in arms at a pivotal moment of inspiration or rallying. There is the more casual ho-, which is shortened to give quick assent to a good point or join in a moment of banter. Then there is Dan's signature hooah. It is difficult to compare this to any human utterance. It is said in a high pitched moan through half-closed mouth, and sounds like hew. Dan is often mistaken for an ailing cow with lockjaw and laryngitis. I swear in those moments that I have no clue who he is.

My husband is a Hooah Man.
Which makes me a Hooah Wife.
Go Army. Beat Navy. Rejoice in the Lord always... and again I say, "Hooah!"