Coast Guard memorandum format: what the generator sets
The memorandum of COMDTINST 5216.4E. Each rule is followed by where it is written.
Page setup
- Header
- The memorandum carries the Coast Guard's memorandum header, "partially customizable" with the unit and its address block, and "should not be sent without this header image." The generator sets the header text; upload the header image from your template to add the Coast Guard mark. (COMDTINST 5216.4E ch. 2 A.1–2; app. C)
- Font and margins
- 12-point Times New Roman; one inch top, bottom, left and right on each page; not justified. The word MEMORANDUM is Times New Roman 16 point. (COMDTINST 5216.4E ch. 1 C.15–16; ch. 2 A.1)
Coast Guard
Heading
- SSIC and date
- An SSIC on each page, with the date directly below it: "4 January 2034" or "4 Jan 2034". A local serial number may follow the SSIC after a slash. (COMDTINST 5216.4E ch. 1 A.9; ch. 2 A.3–5)
- From line
- Every memorandum has a From line, and the signing official signs on it — the signature goes above "From:". "Reply to / Attn of" names a point of contact other than the signer. (COMDTINST 5216.4E ch. 2 A.6, A.14; app. C)
- To and Thru
- To the office or commanding officer. Thru lines are numbered, the next command in the chain first. With several addressees the To line reads "Distribution" and a "Dist:" list goes at the end. (COMDTINST 5216.4E ch. 2 A.9–11; app. C par. 5)
- Subj and Ref
- The subject in capitals, typically ten words or fewer, repeated in the header of later pages. References lettered (a), (b). (COMDTINST 5216.4E ch. 2 A.12–13)
Coast Guard
Text
- Paragraphs
- First-level paragraphs are numbered and wrap to the left margin; with a single paragraph the number is optional. A subparagraph starts under the first letter of the paragraph above and its own lines hang under its first letter. At least two at each level. (COMDTINST 5216.4E ch. 2 A.7; app. C)
- End mark
- "#" centered on the third line below the last paragraph ends the memorandum. Enclosure, Dist, Copy and Blind Copy follow it. (COMDTINST 5216.4E ch. 2 A.17; app. C)
- Later pages
- The subject at the left with the SSIC at the right and the date under it; the page number centered in the footer from page 2. (COMDTINST 5216.4E ch. 2 A.4, A.18; app. C)
Coast Guard
Endorsements and the memorandum for the record
- Endorsements
- On the same page when it fits: the date on the third line below the "#" (the SSIC is not repeated), then FIRST ENDORSEMENT, the From, To and Thru lines and the text. On a new page: clean stationery with the subject, SSIC and date in the header. Remaining Thru addressees are renumbered. (COMDTINST 5216.4E ch. 2 C; app. C)
- Memorandum for the record
- A memorandum for the record "is the same as a standard memorandum, except the writer must change the subject line to" A Memorandum for the Record. (COMDTINST 5216.4E ch. 1 C.3)
From one level to the next
A memorandum that has to pass through other offices on its way up or down follows the rule below. The generator keeps a reply on the page it replies to when it fits; when it does not fit, the reply starts a new page in the format the manual gives for that case.
- Coast Guard. On the same page when it fits: the date on the third line below the "#" (the SSIC is not repeated), then FIRST ENDORSEMENT, the From, To and Thru lines and the text. On a new page: clean stationery with the subject, SSIC and date in the header. Remaining Thru addressees are renumbered. (COMDTINST 5216.4E ch. 2 C; app. C)
Each manual does this differently: every service's rule, side by side.
The header image
A Coast Guard memorandum carries the service's memorandum header rather than a seal. The generator sets the header's text; the image is yours to add, from your unit's template, under Letterhead.
Military Toolkit is not affiliated with the Department of War, the Department of Defense or any Military Service, and a memorandum made here is official only when an authorized person signs it for an official purpose.
How the layout is checked
Line breaks are computed with the advance widths of the PDF standard fonts (Adobe's Core 14 font metrics). Times New Roman, Arial and Courier New share those widths with Times, Helvetica and Courier, so a line that fits in the preview fits in Word.
On 1 October 2026 the Word files of five sample documents were opened in Microsoft Word and saved as PDF; every word of the text sat within 0.3 point of its position in the generator's own PDF, with the same page breaks.
The PDF is the finished document: every line is placed where the manual puts it. The Word file is the same document left open for editing, with real paragraphs, indents and tab stops, so a change you make there keeps the format. Page breaks follow the manuals as well: at least two lines of a paragraph on each side of a break, and a signature block never alone at the top of a page.
Sources
- COMDTINST 5216.4E, Correspondence Manual, 1 February 2024. Chapters 1 and 2; Appendix C, Sample Memoranda and Letters. Cancels COMDTINST M5216.4D. Positions follow the Appendix C sample, which is printed at full size.
Read on 1 October 2026. A command supplement or a local operating instruction can add to these rules; where it does, it governs.
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