Every officer in the Army will have to write a memo at some point — whether it’s an executive summary, an SOP, or just a memorandum for record to cover your bases. With how often we write them, you’d think everyone would be a pro… but bad formatting is everywhere.
I’ve seen it all — from O-6s handing out counseling memos riddled with errors to an old BN XO who turned off Word’s auto-formatting just to manually space everything with the spacebar. (Spoiler: not efficient.)
My journey started as a brand-new 2LT, struggling to center a signature block. A CPT told me to just print the memo out, fold it in half, and “keep folding until it looks centered.” At that moment, I knew there had to be a better way.
After a full workday of trial and error, I cracked the code. I built a perfect Army memo template that auto-formats properly — and now I’m sharing it here so you don’t have to suffer like I did.
Formatting your memo correctly is low-hanging fruit — an easy way to look good early in your career.
References
Before you start, download two things from https://armypubs.army.mil/:
- Letterhead Template: Found at the bottom of the homepage under “Publishing Templates.”
- AR 25-50: Preparing and Managing Correspondence — found under Publications > Army Regulations > 25-50.
(It’s actually one of the best-written Army regulations out there — it even includes pictures for every format. Honestly, it’s usable by even the dumbest person. If you can follow step-by-step screenshots, you can format a memo.)
Common Mistakes
1. Spacing:
AR 25-50 clearly lays out spacing rules. Use the “Show/Hide ¶” button in Word to see hidden formatting like spaces, tabs, and breaks. It makes spotting errors easy.
2. Indentation:
Subparagraphs are tricky. The first line of each subparagraph should be indented .25 inches — but subsequent lines should be justified left, not indented. (Word’s default settings will try to mess this up, so you’ll need to adjust.)
3. Centering the Signature Block:
Never eyeball it. Never tab over. There’s a clean way to get it perfectly centered, and I’ll show you.
How to Build the Perfect Army Memo Template (Step-by-Step)
1. Download the Letterhead:
Input your unit and address. (Company for PLs, BN for staff.) Set margins to 1 inch.
2. Add the Office Symbol and Date:
- One space below the letterhead.
- Tip: If you don’t know your office symbol, check an old memo from your unit or ask your S1.
- Tab over to right-align the date (format: day month year).
- To keep it clean, manually space the date instead of inserting line breaks.
3. Add “MEMORANDUM FOR”:
- Two spaces below the date line.
- Usually “MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD.”
4. Add the Subject Line:
- One space below “MEMORANDUM FOR.”
- Format: SUBJECT: Your subject here.
5. Add the Body:
- Two spaces below the subject.
- Now the magic begins: set up multilevel numbering in Word.
Setting Up Multilevel Numbering
- Go to Paragraph > Multilevel List > Define New Multilevel List > More.
- First Level:
- Numbering: 1., 2., 3.
- Alignment: Left, start at 0″, text indent at 0″.
- Second Level:
- Numbering: a., b., c.
- Alignment: Start at .25″, text indent set to 0″.
- Third Level:
- Numbering: (1), (2), (3).
- Alignment: Start at .5″, text indent set to 0″.
- Fourth Level:
- Numbering: (a), (b), (c).
- Alignment: Start at .5″, text indent 0″.
Pro Tip:
Set “Follow number with” to space, not tab.
6. Adjust Paragraph Spacing:
- Go to Layout > Paragraph.
- Set “After” to 10 pt (for 12-pt font).
7. Handling a Second Page:
- In the header, add the Office Symbol on the first line, then Subject on the second.
- Under Header Options, select “Different First Page.”
8. Writing the POC Paragraph:
- The POC doesn’t have to be the memo signer.
- Include name, rank, duty title, phone number, and email if needed.
9. Center the Signature Block Perfectly:
- In Layout, set Left Indent to 3.25″.
- (8.5″ page width ÷ 2) – (1″ margin) = 3.25″.
Final Thoughts
Once you set this up once, save it forever as your Perfect Army Memo Template.
Share it with your friends and look like a rockstar.
Formatting right is an easy win. It shows attention to detail, professionalism, and effort.
Word of caution: if your memos are too perfect, you might end up stuck writing everything for the battalion… but that’s a problem for future you.
Bonus Tip:
If you’re stuck on content, that’s between you and ChatGPT. 😉
If you nail the format, you’re already ahead of half the Army.
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