Evening star., 1935-02-03
Naval Reservists Begin
Training for Inspection
Inspector Instructor Inaugurates Series of
Lectures for Officers in Prepa-
ration for Tests.

~ EGINNING with the drill
II schedule, which will be in
augurated tomorrow night
- the officers and men Of the
1st Battalion, United States
Naval Reserves in the District
Of Columbia, started in earnest to
make preparations for the annual in
spection by a board Of regular Navy
officers from the Navy Department
which will be held In April, accord.
ing to present plans.
In order to assist the officers in
their preparations for the coming tests
Lieut.. Comdr. r. w. Benson, U. S. Navy,
inspector instructor assigned to the
local organization, has mapped out
q series Of lectures which he will give
on Thursday night of each week, an
ofi-drill night for the divisions. The
subjects to be taken up will embrace
instruction in practical naval matters
1t was announced, information on
which will be found Of value for more
efhciently performing present duties
and in preparing for promotion.
These talks will be held in the
Armory on Eleventh street southeast
and all officers attached to the bat
talon are requested to be present.
The period following the instruc-
ton will be utilized for clearing up
whatever administrative and other
divisional work that may require ac-
tion. 1t is believed, says an announce
ment Of Lieut.. j. E. Sullivan, bat
TALON commander. that the presence
Of all of1cers at this time will facili-
tate and expedite action on numer-
GUS administrative matters which at
present, due to the separate drill
nights, sometimes hangs fire for
weeks.
The preparation of the fleet di-
visions for their annual inspection
has made it necessary. according to
Rear Admiral j. r. Defrees, COM
mandant of the Washington Navy
Yard, to continue the monthly talks to
officers Of the Volunteer Naval Reserve.
He said that it had been found i'm
practicable to arrange drill schedules
so that the armor.' could be available
for these talks. However, he ex-
pressed the hope that they can be re-
sumed after April.
Practically all of the time between
now and April will be needed by the
Reservists to make preparations for
the stiff tests which will be put up
to them by the inspection officers.
These talks and other training fea-
lures were planned for the Reserve
by Comdr. Benson, who has been most
active in providing facilities for Off
GERS Of the Volunteer Reserve to learn
more about the naval service, so that
they would be indoctrinated should
there develop national emergency
requiring their entrance upon active
service duties.
Organization of committees Of Re-
serve officers in the various communi-
ties having for their purpose giving aid
to former sailors in finding civil jobs
has been suggested to the Navy De-
partment by Reserve medical ofiicer
in Georgia and the department has
in turn passed the suggestion along
to all Reserve units with q view to
interesting Reserve units in the mat
ter.
The letter, from Lieut.. (Junior
Grade) Jack c. Norris, Medical Corps
Decatur, Ga, says:
In the last three years the writer
has been called upon by two former
Navy men who desired help in OBJ
tanning positions in civil life. The
men had good Navy records. Each
had left the Navy for good reasons
They were men of good moral fibeI
and had been well trained in clini-
cal pathology at the Naval Medical
School and aboard ship.
with little effort and trouble, once
my interest was sufficiently aroused
I obtained for each of these men DO
sitions which enabled them to make
sufficient income for themselves and
family. They are now working and
seem happy.
I'm each instance the gratitude of
these men more than repaid me for
my trouble. One of them remarked
to me Doctor, I didn't know there
was any one in civil life who cared
enough about me to help me get job
assured him that those of us in the
Reserve were always willing to help
those worthy Of aid.
Those occurrences, and the salts