'CYA' as subject in an official military MEMO???

[dascallie]

This might be the single biggest deal breaker of all!! What military officer in his right mind would put together a memo titled 'CYA'?? Especially someone steeped in military protocols??!!

And who even used that idiom/hipspeak in 1972???

[JoyinNM]

I heard the term first from my dad who was a vet of Korea. Probably heard it around early 70's, late 60's.
I don't think it's a new term.

[Ole Okie]

CYA would show up in conversation, but not in a serious memo.

Well golly, the DNC has now taken lessons from those Iraqis who posted "Baby Milk Factory" on some war plant or other.

"CYA", like Baby Milk Factory, is designed to get the Simples' attention.

Nobody in his right mind in the military would use it on a document.

[WHBates]

The problem with "CYA" is that it is something you do but not talk about. It is absolutely laughable the anybody would label something as "CYA" and write it to your own file and nobody else, what would be the point?

[FesterUSMC]

better yet what officer in his right mind would write a memo on this! If he got caught with this memo he would be screwed! come on!

[TomGuy]

A folder might be labeled CYA or CMA, but I doubt individual memos would have such notations.

CYA/CMA are common in many office settings. What they do is provide paper (memos/notes) on issues. Many times, they are nothing more than personal notes of telephone calls or discussions, with dates, times, contacts. They are sometimes for 'refresher' info later. Sometimes, they are copies of actual documents, in the event such come into question.

I used to have 2 desktop publishers in my group. One task manager we processed data for was notorious for returning documents for handwritten corrections. Some documents went through 4 correction cycles and the last was corrected back to what appeared on the first doc. I realized he was trying to 'set up' certain people in my group, so I instructed all to make copies of the request docs and result docs (a copy paper trail).

A few months later, the TM brought up in a staff meeting that he had to keep returning docs again and again (to my group) to finally get them right. I explained that we made copies of all 'in' requests and 'finished' jobs, and I could show that his numerous corrections ended up being erroneous. He turned beet red! He had been caught. I knew it. He knew it. He sat down and never made another complaint about doc processing.

[used2BDem]

I was in the Navy for 8 years and NEVER saw anything remotely close.

[FesterUSMC]

If you wirte a memo to yourself to you sign it? i dont... uhhh...

[John_7Diamonds]

I agree. That was the first thing that jumped out at me. It is as if the whole thing started out as a SNL skit.

John

[AF68]

"So he writes a CYA memo and then states he is willing to back date records???"

Isn't the irony delicious?

[FesterUSMC]

When you write a memo to yourself do you put your signature to it?

[toomanygrasshoppers]

We've probably all written letters or memos to cover our ..um..bottoms. BUT you don't indicate on the face of the document that it is a CYA letter. Also, if it was just a memo to himself, why put it on official letterhead? Why remind yourself in the memo that the purpose of the memo is to CYA? It sounds like whoever wrote this memo felt that people were to stoooopid to figure out that the content of the memo was to CYA so they had to tip them off. I also agree that no officer would refer to a General by his last name only. Not prudent, you know.

[happydogdesign]

Here's the slightly naughty animated version

[gutshot]

This forgery is FUBAR.

[Not A Snowbird]

Back in my day (showing my advanced age, here) they were called "Memorandum for the Record". And yes, there was actually a prescibed format.

I did replace a warrant officer at Quantico who was a complete packrat. In her desk I found notes on counseling and behavior of lance corporals who were probably gunnery sergeants by the time I found them... but they were handwritten. Not typed.

[Avenger]

Ok I guess I am totally "unhip" because I have no idea what "CYA" means. Could someone please explain?

[Hank All-American]

I've been making this argument, too. The question is not whether the acronym was in use, but whether any officer would put it in a memo. People in the military always talk about "CYA Memos." But nobody actually uses the term in the memo itself. Certainly no one at the light colonel level, even though I doubt any officer would. That kind of defeats the point. You write the memo to make a record of an event you think may be disputed later. If you actually write in it that you are writing it to C your A, using that term, you would not only look unprofessional, but scheming. One can just picture a civilian having heard about "CYA Memos" not realizing that is what they are described as, not titled.

[TomGuy]

If you wirte a memo to yourself to you sign it? i dont... uhhh...

John Kerry might, since he keeps getting himself confused with Bob KerrEy, but most normal people wouldn't. lol.

[Larry Lucido]

I think it stood for "Cover Your Assets."

[bastantebueno55]

This forgery is FUBAR.

I'm assuming "FU" is the same as in SNAFU (situation normal, all f****ed up), but what is "BAR"--beyond any repair? I've seen this acronym many times but never saw it spelled out.

[finnigan2]

I think the CYA matter is not as important as it might appear at first glance. When I was in industry, from time to time I found it necessary to record, on paper, my version of events or understanding of supposed agreements just in case someone I had reason to distrust tried to dispute matters and "sandbag" me at some future date.
I would sometimes produce a short memo, which was headed up as an, "Aide Memoire". I didn't use office letterhead, only plain paper, and I wrote a brief paragraph or two on the issue which I dated and signed before putting it in my personal files, just in case of future need. Such Aide Memoire's were, in effect, CYA documents and were cynically referred to as such.