Marines Section
Oorah™ Vocal Training Audio Course
40 hours. One syllable.
The Oorah™ Vocal Training Audio Course is a complete 40-hour instructional program covering proper OORAH technique from the foundational mechanics of diaphragmatic engagement to the advanced applications of sustained field delivery at sustained volume across a sustained deployment. The course is available on USB drive in MP3 format, paired with a spiral-bound workbook titled 'OORAH VOCAL TRAINING · VOL. 1 — ONE SYLLABLE,' and includes a set of padded over-ear headphones in olive green for uninterrupted personal instruction.
The curriculum is divided into eight modules: Introduction and Commitment, Breath from the Diaphragm (not the throat, never the throat), Building the Foundation, Volume Without Strain, Terrain Considerations, Formation Delivery, the Advanced Module for Personnel Who Are Still Saying It Wrong, and a capstone session simply titled 'There is Only One Syllable and It Is All of Them.' The workbook has 112 pages. Most of them contain one word.
The Army says 'hooah,' which our phonetics consultant describes as 'nasal, hesitant, and quietly apologetic' in tone and delivery. The Oorah course was not developed in response to hooah. It was developed because OORAH deserves its own science, and its own 40 hours, and its own workbook, and that workbook is now available.
“The Army's hooah is phonetically adequate and emotionally incomplete — forty hours of instruction cannot fix a syllable that has already given up.”
— SQUARED AWAY EDITORIAL BOARD
| Runtime | 40 hours, 8 modules, USB MP3 format |
| Format | USB drive + spiral-bound workbook (112 pp) + headphones |
| Instructor | GySgt (Ret.) Harlan Bevins, 22 years USMC vocal operations |
| Workbook Pages | 112 (most pages contain one word) |
| Volume Range | Modules 1–4: conversational. Modules 5–8: full field delivery. |
| Certifications | MIL-STD-SCREAM compliant. Not recommended for apartment buildings. |
- Not for use indoors without prior neighbor notification. GySgt Bevins assumes no liability for responses from civilian residential contexts.
- Army personnel attempting Module 6 may default to 'hooah.' This is expected. Module 7 addresses it directly.
After-Action Reports
I completed all 40 hours over two weeks. My OORAH is now a different instrument. My NCO asked what happened to my voice. I showed him the workbook. He enrolled.
I assigned Module 3 as mandatory pre-FEX listening for my platoon. Formation the next morning was noticeably different. I cannot describe it quantitatively but the difference was there.
I have 26 years of OORAH behind me. I listened to Module 8 out of curiosity. GySgt Bevins corrected something I have been doing wrong since 1999. I respect the man and this course.
