Evening star., 1936-01-19
N IMPORTANT phase in the
preparations of the 1st Bat
\ talon, United States Naval

~ preparations of the 1st Bat
~ talon, United States Naval
a Reserves in the District of
Columbia, for the coming annual
inspections before a board of regular
officers from the Navy Department,
will be a special series Of Instructive
lectures to the officers by Lieut.. Comdr.
Mark H. Crouter, y. S. NJ, aide to
the commandant of the Washington
Navy Yard and officer in charge of
Naval Reserve affairs in the District
Of Columbia.
Thursday nights have been set aside
for a special assembly of the officers.
so that the lectures will not be inter-
fered with by drills. The entire bat
talon now drills on Tuesday nights
under a plan put into effect shortly
after the beginning of the new year
by Lieut.. James E. Sullivan, battalion
commander.
Among the subjects to be discussed
by Comdr. Crouter will be the duties
of various officers at emergency drills
and shipboard evolutions. Particular
attention. it was announced, will be
paid to the instruction in the mooring
board and the duties of officers in
battle problems. The latter subject
is at present major training activity
for the feet divisions of the battalion.
The lecture series is a part of the
program for sending the battalion to
the upper 10 among the units in the
country. when the final inspection fig
ures are made public. The battalion
members recently we're told that they
should make this group this year, and
Lieut.. Sullivan and his associates,
among the commissioned personnel,
are working diligently to bring this
about.
officers of the battalion have ex-
pressed their appreciation of the deci-
sion of Comdr. Crouter to present the
lectures, which, of course, will require
an additional drill night for them each
week during the series. However, they
are anxious to get the benefit of expert
instruction from regular officer. so
that they may aid in bringing up the
efficiency of the local battalion.
The annual inspections are but
short time off, in number of drill
nights, and other officers and men
will have to work diligently on each
night to perfect every detail Of naval
work. for they never know. until the
board appears on the scene on the
scheduled inspection nights. as to
just what drills and exercises they will
call for.
When the board appears at the bat
talon armory this year, the members
will find a system of classroom in
struction which is material improve
ment over any that the battalion has
had in its postwar history. In these
classes. the outlines furnished by the
Bureau of Navigation of the Navy
Department are being strictly followed,
and is the plan to bring the enlisted
personnel to high state of perfection
by the inspection date.
The battalion commander, Lieut..
Sullivan, has now attached to his staff
the following feet and volunteer Off
GERS: Lieut.. Comdr. w. c. Lockhart,
engineering officer; Lieut. Comdr. F. P.
Quigley. Lieut.. c. H. Williams. Lieut..
j. M. Fewell, Lieut. j. p Wetherell.
Lieut.. J. L. Cardwell, battalion medical
officer; Lieut.. E. C. Carusi. battalion
adjutant, Lieut.. q. c. A. G. Betz,
Ensign J. w. Schultz battalion supply
officer: Ensign H. Arthur Lamar. bat
talon recruiting officer and aide, and
Ensign c. L. Wheeler.
Armories for the Naval Reserve
came in for lengthy discussion at
the convention of the United States
Naval Reserve Officers Association
here. 1t was finally decided to urge
the Navy Department to take active
steps to aid units in obtaining suitable
buildings in which the reservists can
receive their training for service in
time for national emergency.
Because of the fact that the local
| reservists can expect little help from
the District authorities in their efforts
to obtain an armory, the Navy De-
partment has aided them as far as
possible to obtain a building to re-
place the structure in which they now
drill weekly. While it is located on
the Navy Yard Reservation. it is an
old commercial warehouse which was
taken into the reservation at the time
of the World War expansion. There
is hardly enough room to house the
contingent now there, and if Con-
gress should decide to increase the
size of the divisions which would mean
an addition of 60 enlisted men here
the organization would be seriously
cramped in its training activities. The
present drill hall is not large enough
for the present three divisions to ma
neuver. 1t is nothing more than a
lean-to added TO the brick building
1t is of frame construction, fire
hazard and is heated by gas.
The reservists have had extensive
plans for new building, which they
propose to use not only for themselves,
but for the Marine Corps Reserve regi-
ment here, which is housed in un-
satisfactory quarters in the munich
pal center area. There will be no
funds available for site, as the local
navy yard authorities have agreed
upon site within the reservation and
or the Anacostia River water front
just south of the present receiving
station and west of the Eleventh Street
Bridge.
Public Works funds are being sought
for the structure, but so far no action
has been taken. As result of the
action of the national association. it
is the hope of the local reservists
that the Navy Department will do
more than mere approval of the