Behind the Story: OohRah! by Tilly Greene
The most straightforward description I can come up with for OohRah! would be that it’s an erotic love story with two people who come to love each more deeply after a stress filled separation.
The hero is Warrant Officer Dale Smythe and he loves being a Marine. The job he does for the Corps is a challenge, physically and mentally, and requires him to be at the top of his game or die. This possibility doesn’t bother him, danger and adventure were exactly what he’d been looking for when he signed up at eighteen and he hasn’t changed his mind it yet.
The story begins with him just back from a tour through Afghanistan and deciding it’s about time he made a few changes in his personal life. No more one-night stands. A real relationship with a woman he cares for, who will help him keep touch with life off the battlefield and will be there when he returns from his next tour of duty.
Lady Luck has her way with him and he finds exactly what he was looking for in the most unlikely of places. Volunteering at the local Run for a Cure race, he sees a young woman who has all the physical attributes that ring his bell. The hormones and testosterone racing uncontrollably through his body once again take over and lead him out onto the course. Eager to enjoy her body, he puts the idea of change on the backburner and runs at her side. What he doesn’t realize until they finish is how impressed he was by the effort she spent in order to finish. By the time they cross the line, he’s entranced and needs to know more about her.
Confident in her and their budding love affair, he’s sure this is the woman who will help him keep his soul intact, no matter how difficult the situation. There is, however, one thing my Marine isn’t so sure about. How will he handle leaving her behind when he heads back to the battlefield?
That’s right, the meat of OohRah! is the man inside the uniform.
This love came about after having been bombarded by the harsh reality of war for too long. For the sake of my sanity I decided to put a different spin on what was happening and focus on who the men and women were that joined up for this difficult job. There were many things I wanted to know, like how they acted when not deployed. Was it difficult to keep things normal when you’ve spent months facing the horrors found in the midst of battle? Tied in with that was what they look for in a partner who would keep the home fires burning for their return.
Yup, the inspiration for OohRah! was that simple. Humanity. Mortality. Legacy. All of these things and much more have been wrapped up into one Warrant Officer Dale Smythe and his quest for a fulfilling life. After I’d decided what to focus on, next came the most important question of all: Soldier or Marine?
That turned out to be an easy one as well. While I was mulling this question over I thought about a conversation I had with a friend who happens to be a Marine and Vietnam Vet. He once mentioned something that’s stuck with me ever since. “Once a Marine, always a Marine.” There’s such power behind that one statement I didn’t look any further. The dedication and strength these men and women have in their souls to serve their nation is an incredible gift that shouldn’t be overlooked or pushed aside.
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Tilly Greene
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