Evening star., 1938-07-17
RESERv|STS TAKE
PROMOTION TESTS
Many Expect to Get New
Ratings Before Cruise
on Texas.

When the 1st Battalion, District
Naval Reserves, leaves here next month
to board the battleship Texas for its
annual tour of duty at sea, 1t is
expected there will be q larger num-
Der Of enlisted men sporting new
crows" on their arms. The crows"
it might be explained to the land
lubbers, are the chevrons, surmounted
by an eagle, which show that the
man wearing it is petty oficer in
some branch of the Navy.
Some will be wearing them for
higher duties, with more responsible
ity, while others will be wearing
them for the first time. There Is
keen rivalry among the enlisted per-
sonnel to pass the tests with high
marks, SO as to be able to capture
one Of the vacancies.
The board is striving to complete
the tests as soon as possible, so as
not to keep the men away from
their weekly drill routine, because of
the fact that the divisions are right
in the midst Of getting ready for the
annual cruise. The drill schedule calls
for a number of special lectures on
Naval Reserve battleship gunnery ex-
ercises. but the signal men and QUAR-
termasters are being given special in
struction in the signals for gunnery
work. Only comparatively few get
a chance at the big guns on the ship,
the remainder being assigned to the
more routine duties of getting the
powder and shells up to the guns
while the ship is running across the
range. But all OF them are hoping
that the District Reservists will bring
back the emblem of gunnery excel
lence for this Reserve target season.
The new group of Reservists who
will seek admittance to the United
States Naval Academy next July
through the medium of the Reserve.
1t was indicated, will be the largest
in the history of the local battalion
as well as the Reserve at large. With
the number of appointments from the
Reserve increased from 20 to so men,
the chances for receiving an appoint
ment Is greater for those who are
seeking to enter the naval school.
The number in the local battalion is
being increased by the fact that can
! dldates from other Reserve units
throughout the country, desiring to
make special preparation for the en-
trance examinations, come here to take
advantage Of the preparatory schools.
While studying here they are trans
ferred to the local outfit, in order
to comply with the requirement that
they must attend a specified number
of drills during the year.
Battalion Comdr. James w. Sulli-
van made an initial inspection of the
Naval Academy candidate group of his
unit this year. He pointed out TO the
candidates that it is one of the essen
tials to be able even to take the ex-
animation that the candidate must be
recommended by his commanding
officer, and he hoped that it would
be possible for every man serving with
the battalion in this group to receive
this necessary approval.
In accordance with a new policy of
the Navy Department each candidate
will be given thorough eye test, more
rigid than ever before, so that a man
may learn early in the year whether,
even If recommended for the exam
ination, he is likely to be accepted
into the school. Because of the fact
that in recent years it has been found
that midshipmen develop eye trouble
| after they have studied at the academy
for several years, some of them so
bad that they cannot be awarded
commissions as ensigns, the Navy
has ordered a refractory test for each
candidate.
| The battalion's 50-foot motor train
ing launch is making regular week end
trips up and down the Potomac River,
taking out each Saturday capacity
crowd of the Reservists. However,
each week that it goes out 1t leaves a
large number of men on the dock
who are unable to go because of the
limitations. The officers have striven
for months to try to correct this attack
on the morale Of the organization, but
see no solution Of the problem until
the Navy Department assigns a larger
vessel here. They are hoping that this
will be done in the near future, al
though they have received no definite
| promises.
The officers point out, however,
that a ooat of the type used by the
Coast Guard as a patrol boat would
aid materially in solving the problems
here. 1t is understood that some of
this type of vessel have been turned
over to the Navy, and they are being
prepared fer distribution to Resesrve
units which do not have satisfactory
training ships. Although the small
boat assigned here Is for the train
ing of the Organized Reserve, for
merly the Fleet Reserve, and it Is
impossible to accommodate all of the
men of this unit, the battalion Off
GERS have followed liberal policy in
allowing use of the vessel by officers
and men of both the aviation unit and
the communication group as soon as
they demonstrated their ability to
handle surface vessels. But larger
vessel is very definite need here, it
was pointed out, and the officers are
striving in every way possible to con-
vince the Navy Department that such
an assignment would be definite
asset to the local units. which have
won their right to it through their
constantly increasing efficiency both
in the armory drills during the annual
inspections and during the annual
training cruises.
During the remainder of the month,
each of the divisions will conduct bag
inspection to ascertain that each man
has a "full bag" that Is enough cloth
ing to meet all of the requirements for
sea duty aboard the battleship Texas.
The clothes are required to be plainly
marked with the name of the owner,
and this important detail is to be
thoroughly looked into by the off1cers
during the inspection period. Other