Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-14
ID. c. Naval Reserves

- aAh WHICH has DSen mapped out Tor
them, under the direction of Lieut..
Samuel W. Stinemetz, Commanding Of
f1cer OF the organization. The pro-
gram which is being laid down is de-
signed for the purpose of increasing
the standing of the local unit among
the battalionS and divisions in other
parts OF the country, working closer to
the top OF the list in an effort 10 cap-
lure the two trophies offered annually
Tor the units having the highest figure
OF merit. Both of thsse trophies were
donated to the Naval Reserve by the
United States Naval Reserve Oficers'
Association, and are awarded on the
OASIS OF the reports on the standing Of
the organizations obtained as a result
of the annual inspections conducted by
a board of officers assigned by the
Navy Department.
While the local organization has never
won one OF these trophies, 1t was pointed
out that there has been a gradual inn
provement shown each year as 4 result
OF the drilling and class room work,
and there is the hope that the local
unit Will be successful in the near fu.
ture. Much Of the marking Of the
units is done as a result of the show
ing made in the emergency drill work
at the time Of the inspections on their
training ship, the United States de-
stroyer Abel P. Upshur In view Of
this, every man is to be Immediately
assigned a station on the ship which
he will be required to take during all
emergency drills. Permanent watch,
quarter and station bills will be pre-
pared as soon as possible and these win
be posted in various places aboard the
vessel, so that a man at any time may
acertain where he is supposed to be for
each drill
In order to perfect the men In this
drill work and enable them to 60 to
their stations without confusion, the
training will be continued during the
Fall months on the ship, and will be
carried as far into the Winter as the
weather permits. When the weather
becomes too severe the work will be
done in the armory. 1t has been the
practice for each division to take the
ship on each drill night, which makes
it possible for a unit to have the vessel
| for training every third drill night.
Each division of the organization II
| formed on the basis of furnishing q
| skeleton crew for a destroyer In time
| of emergency, and for that reason only
one division is allowed on the vessel
| at a time.
Aside from the drill work, Il was
| pointed out that the class room in
struction during the ensuing year will
/
than has been the practice heretofore.
! The group of officers which has been
instructed to work out this feature of
1 the program by Lieut.. Stinemetz has
| been directed to make provision in the
schedule for more detail in the class
room work and to give special atten-
ton to individual instruction for all
of the men assigned to the classes. It
| is the belief of the officers that better
will Re 0t1f kyy d.
d1vidual instruction, and further that
| the interest of the sailors win be In
creased by this personal supervision.
The instruction will be designed to
| qualify the men for advancement to the
next higher rating. A rather novel
method for the instruction of signalmen
has been inaugurated. according to the
officers. All quartermasters, signalmen
| and strikers" for these positions are
required to participate each drill eve
ming. Each of these men represents q
| ship in formation, and they go through
! the same tactical maneuvers on foot as
the vessel to which they might be ut.
tached would on signal from the nag.
ship. This method is expected to result
in increased interest and give the men
a greater knowledge of the tactical sig
mails and the signal flags, being then
! able to visualize what each signal
means when it is hoisted.
| Plans also are being formulated for
the appointment OF an examining board
in the local battalion, for the purpose
OF conducting tests Of the enlisted per-
sonnet who have been recommended for
promotion to the next higher rating.
| There are said to be a number Of
vacancies in the lower petty-oficer
ratings in the several divisions and
| efforts will be made to I'LL them as
quickly as possible to perfect the or.
AS result Of the interest and pro.
| ficiency shown by q number of men
during the last annual cruises, they
have been recommended for promotion,
but before they may be given their
crows" they must pass the book tests
before a board of ofhcers. The detail
of examining the men requires con-
siderable time, and 1t was indicated
that it will be well into the Winter
before the results will be known. While
it is possible to give some of the tests J
| in a group, 1t was pointed out that Z
owing to the variety Of ratings in the
Navy, each requiring some special !,
technical qualification, practically every
man must go through some part of his
examination alone, and this involves the
board giving a certain amount Of time ?
to each individual.
With the strenuous technical program
mapped out. the officers, however, have
not overlooked the physical program.
1t was said that plans are under way
to repeat the successful boxing sea- 2
son of last year. Teams now are being
organized, and it was said that q NUM-
Der of good matches are to be planned,
1t Is also proposed to arrange inter-
battalion matches with Naval Reserves !.
of nearby cities, including Baltimore.
The Baltimore, Md, organization units
always take thier annual cruises with
the local outfit, and a very close
friendly rivalry has been built UP be-
tween the units The team is TO be
coached, 1t was announced. by Henry
w. whitley, former chief yeonaan and
a Navy boxer.
While some Naval Reserve onacers
upon becoming disqualified for further
service are honorably discharged, others
are placed on the honorary retired list.
The departmental officers, it was said,
consider that officers in the following
categories will have performed sum-
GENTLY meritorious service to warrant
their being placed on the latter list:
Officers who have had honorable
commissioned. warrant or enlisted serv-
ice during any portion of the World
War, officers whose physical disoualif-
cations are due to injuries received
while performing active or training
duty, officers who have had a total
of Is years meritorious commissioned,
warrant or enlisted service, provided the
last four years of such service shall
have been commissi med or warrant
service In the Naval reserve and other
officers. not covered in the preceding
provisions, whose service while in the
Naval Reserve is deemed to be Of ex-
ceptionally outstanding merit.