Doc Jargon: Phrase shortened for urgency has military origin

Photo By Collen McGee | Doc Jargon, cutting through the jargon that is the U.S. Army.  

UNITED STATES

11.21.2022

Story by Collen McGee 

Fort Riley Public Affairs Office

Phrase shortened for urgency has military origin


Dear Doc Jargon,
My sergeant often says she needs something done ASAP. I know it means as soon as possible, but I really want to know how the phrase came to be. It is used so often in Army lingo I often wonder if it began there.
Sincerely,
Need it ASAP

Dear Need it ASAP,
Your suspicion that the phrase has origins in military language is spot on. I did a bit of digging and found the first written reference of the term was in Air Force Capt. Annis G. Thompson's account of the Korean War, “The Greatest Airlift” published in 1954. In his book he wrote, Emergency drops required no paperwork, merely a telephone call from the 8th Army in Korea. Most drops were made on an ASAP or 'as soon as possible' basis.
From there, the phrase grew in military popularity and has since spilled out into the civilian world. It is used often in business correspondence to convey a sense of urgency.
When you think about it, it makes perfect sense to come up with a faster word for a phrase that means what ASAP does?

Sincerely,

Doc Jargon

• Date Taken: 11.21.2022
• Date Posted: 11.21.2022 12:29
• Story ID: 433655
• Location: US