Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-06
Organized Reserves

| The adoption Of a resolution BY the
! 1881 convention of the Reserve Officers
Association of the United States. urging
| the adoption by Congress of the bill
! creating separate Reserve division in
/ the War Department general staff. it
| is expected, will cause this proposal to
! be reconsidered at the next session of
} Congress. There has been considerable
| comment on the project to establish a
! bureau in the War Department for the
! transaction Of the affairs of the Or
gained Reserves of the United States
! Army.
Representative w. Frank James,
Michigan, chairman of the House Mill
tary Committee, is particularly inter-
ested in bill, introduced by him in
the Seventeen and Seventy-1rst Con-
| crosses. to create a Reserve division of
! the War Department. The measure
provides for Regular Army officer as
CHEZ Of the division. with rank OF ma
! jor general, and six other officers to be
assigned to the division. three of whom
! should be members of the Officers Re-
serve Corps. The duties of the chief
| of the Reserve division would include
| general supervision under the chief OF
! staff of the administration and devel-
| opment of the officers Reserve Corps.
! the chief of the Reserve division would
| be consulted regarding, and kept in
| formed and advised of. all existing and
| proposed = policies. regulations plans
and orders affecting the Officers Re-
serve Corps. The Reserve officers on
| duty in the Reserve division would be
called to active duty with their own
consent for this purpose, and while
so serving would receive the active
duty pay and allowances Of their
grades.
Slightly over three years ago, in July.
| 1928, committee of Reserve officers.
| one from each of the corps areas, met
at the War Department to consider Re
serve affairs. Its first recommendation
in connection with this legislation was
that the affairs of the Omcers' Reserve
Corps should be solely and entirely COM
mitted to the War Department. under
the chief of staff; that the Reserve
Corps being a part of the Army and
strictly Federal force, its affairs should
be handled as are those of the regular
Army the policies made by the general
staff, and the operations conducted by
the adjutant generals Office. and rec
commended that no new independent
board be created by Congress within the
War Department. Six of the nine mem
bers Of the board recorded votes in ia
Vor Of this recommendation.
With the expiration of the five-year
appointment of a number or District
Reserve officers of filed grade. within
the next few months, the Reservists be-
longing to this group will be interested
ing Army Regulations No. 140-5, pro-
mulgated recently, governing their re-
appointment. When the five-year pc
riod of appointment of field grade
Reserve officer expires. he may be re-
appointed in his former grade and sec
ton with eligibility for promotion, as
signment, and active duty training in
peace time. provided he passes a salts
factory physical examination, and 1t has
been officially recorded that during his
current appointment he has established
his eligibility as provided below. In
case eligibility has not been thus es-
tabliShed he may be reappointed to the
same grade and section without eligi-
| bility for promotion, assignment and
active duty training in peace time. In
establishing his eligibility Reserve Of
ficer must: ID Obtain a certificate of
capacity for promotion to the next
higher grade: or 90 obtain a certifi-
cate of capacity for his present grade,
or 49, demonstrate his interest in mill
tary affairs by having written record
of at least 200 hours of Army extern
sion course work, attendance at classes.
administrative duties in connection with
his unit. or active participation with
! troops on inactive duty training. In
computing the 200 hours, credit of 100
hours will be given for each 14-day pc
Rod Of active duty; for shorter or longer
periods. seven hours credit will be given
for each full day of active duty: or ca
he has satisfactorily completed the pre-
scribed course of instruction for Re-
serve officers at the special service
schools of his arm of service or the spe-
cial course for Reserve officers at the
Command and General Staff School or
the Army War College.
Any Reserve officer of field grade who
has been reappointed without eligibility
for promotion. assignment or active
duty in peace-time may regain such
eligibility at any time that he fulfllls
the requirements of /, 2 or above, or
when he has earned, during his current
appointment, either credits of 200 hours
or, as an alternative, credits at the rate
of 40 hours per year for the elapsed
time of his current appointment, plus
the number of hours he LACKED of Sc
curing 200 hours credit during his prior
appointment. Such privilege Of regain
ing eligibility for promotion. assign
ment and active duty will ordinarily
be granted but once to any individual
officer.