CYA

[Ed Finegan]

Following the link suggested by Wilson Gray leads to an independent
source, prefaced by this note:

"I thought you might be able to use the following glossary. I've been
packing it around in one form or another since 1967. I was a
machinegunner (infantry, MOS 0311) in Viet Nam with the 2nd Battalion,
4th Marines, 3d Marine Division from June of 1965 until the end of 1966.

Semper Fi,
Nicholas Del Cioppo
nick at quiknet.com

Dictionary of Marine Corps Terms and Words
Used in Vietnam"

Del Cioppo's glossary contains this entry

"COVER ASS, take precautions to avoid blame."

Seems Killian's use isn't a first!

Ed Finegan

Wilson Gray wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Wilson Gray <wilson.gray at RCN.COM>
> Subject:      Re: CYA
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I saw "CYA" in print in a story that used Army initial-jargon as
> section headings. This story appeared in the Magazine of Fantasy &
> Science-Fiction in 1979. The site below claims a Vietnam-era origin,
> without specifying a date, but it implies that the term would have been
> in use in 1973:
>
> <http://www.jwalsh.net/projects/research/military_jargon/>
>
> -Wilson Gray
>
> On Sep 12, 2004, at 3:32 PM, Mullins, Bill wrote:
>
>
>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>-----------------------
>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>Poster:       "Mullins, Bill" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL>
>>Subject:      CYA
>>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>--------
>>
>>For those who haven't been following the news lately, 60 Minutes did a
>>story
>>last Wednesday about President Bush's National Guard service, based on
>>some
>>memos which they just obtained copies of.  There has been a huge
>>firestorm
>>about the memos, with many bloggers building a case that they are
>>forgeries,
>>and with CBS stating that they will "stand by" their story, but without
>>offering much in the way of validation.
>>
>>One point that has been raised is that one of the memos, from 1973,
>>uses the
>>acronym "CYA" (Cover Your Ass).  Whether or not a LtCol in the Air
>>National
>>Guard would use this expression as the subject of a memo for record is
>>one
>>thing; another is whether the acronym was in use at all at that time.
>>I've
>>known it for years, but not that far back (I was 11 years old then . .
>>.).
>>I couldn't find it easily in any databases I have access to.
>>
>>So, can anyone on this list establish its use back then?  I would be
>>surprised if the answer is "no", but I think the question is worth
>>asking.
>>
>>Thanks
>>Bill Mullins
>>
>
>