Evening star., 1939-07-30

| mas SUPERVISION OF not only bQ6
organized battalion here, but of the
Volunteer branches, as we'll as the
Communications Division and the
Aeronautical Division.
1t. Benz is a graduate OF the
United States Naval Academy in
the class of 1925. He has been
gunnery officer of the destroyer
Reid, assigned to the Asiatic Fleet,
and holds the Yangtze Campaign
Medal. He also was on duty here
in the Office of Chief of Naval OPP
erations at the Navy Department,
and also served on the United States
destroyer Melvin during the Mica
raguan difficulties.
Although there is not time to
train a team for participation in
the approaching matches at Camp
Perry, Ohio, 1t w. Croft Jennings,
commanding the local battalion. is
making plans and preparations for
the formation of a rife team to
participate in the matches next year.
Several times previously the local
Naval Reservists have formed teams,
but they never were able to obtain
funds with which to send the team
to the national matches. However,
this wear funds were made available,
but at the time the local citizen
sailors were on their annual cruise.
AS the matches are to be held early
in September. there was not suf-
ficient time to hold the necessary
competitions to pick the best shots
to go on a team to represent the
Naval Reserve here.
1t. Jennings issued instructions to
Ensign H. Arthur Lamar to begin
the selection of a team. Ensign
Lamar said that he will have various
men fire each Saturday and Sunday,
during which observation will be
made of the scores. and toward the
end of the year the best shots will
be picked to form the Naval Reserve
team
No place for shooting has vet been
obtained, but Ensign Lamar says
that he will take steps to obtain
permission to use the National
Guard rifle range at Camp Sinms,
and perhaps later a range will be
laid out in one of the buildings Of
the Washington Navy Yard, where
the men may practice all during the
winter season when the open range
is not available for use.
The local battalion is experiencing
a rush of candidates who plan to
take the next examinations for ap-
pointment to the United States
Naval Academy from the enlisted
ranks of the Naval Reserve. Ensign
H. Arthur Lamar who has charge
of the instruction of this group,
said that before the provisional di-
vision is completed he expects to
have at least $50 candidates. While
all of the members of the local bat
talon who intend to try for the
coveted designations have been en-
listed, because of the fact that they
have been in the Reserve at least
one year prior to entrance in the
academy, nevertheless the battalion
is being increased by number of
men from other Reserve organiza-
tions throughout the country. While
it is not necessary for the men to
join the local battalion in order to
become candidates, nevertheless
many of them come here, where
they have the advantage of the
numerous preparatory schools, for
the purpose of taking courses which
will f1t them for the rigid examina-
tions.
The examinations are on Nation
wide basis, the men with the highest
marks in the tests being selected
regardless of their domicile. The
Reservists are allowed so appoint
ments to the academy each year,
and in addition they receive any of
the 100 vacancies allocated to the
enlisted men of the Regular estab-
lishment which are not filled.
No figures have yet been received
as to the total number of men
finally selected for the local battal-
ion, as the candidates will be taken
in at the academy during all of the
current month. After that time. it
is expected that the Navy Depart
ment will be able to give the local
Reservists the figures on the number
OF men selected. In the past the
local battalion has captured the
majority of the appointments.
The Navy Department has author
lied an expenditure of an additional
$l1 900 to overhaul the YP boat
which has been assigned here as a
training ship. The vessel was sup
posed to have had a complete over
haul at the Charleston IS. c. Navy
Yard, but when a crew of the local
officers and men went there and
brought the boat back, they found
that there were number of things
which should have been done to put
the ship in seaworthy condition. 1t
has not been used for cruising train
ing since 1t arrived at the Washing
ton Navy Yard. Most of the time
since it has been here it has been
undergoing inspection by the OFF,
GERS at the Washington Navy Yard,
who have been figuring out the
needed repairs and the cost to make
it available as a training ship.
While the local Reservists are con-
siderably disappointed over the fact
that they do not have a ship for
training purposes, they realize that
after it comes back from the Norfolk
Navy Yard, to which it is to be sent
for repairs, they will have vessel
which will serve them for a long
time. Furthermore, the vessel has
a heating plant aboard, which will
make it possible for the Reservists to
use it for training throughout the
fall and winter months, practice
which was impossible with the
launch which formerly served Is a
training vessel here.