Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-07-14
Naval Reseryists
Face Training :,
Problem Here
Personnel Depleted
By Response to
Active Duty Call

0y response 10
Active Duty Call
Depletion of commission and petty
officer personnel through responses
to the call for volunteers for active
duty with the fleet have raised seri-
GUS training problems in the list
Battalion, District Naval Reserves,
it was indicated by the officers. The
organization Is in the midst of prep
arations for its annual cruise, when
every officer is put to the utmost to
train the enlisted personnel to the
highest plane so as to be able to
carry on their assignments efficient.
ly on the annual cruise.
The cruise this year will be aboard
battleship. Heretofore practically
all of the training of many of the
men has been aboard destroyers.
The organization received a very
high efficiency rating on its cruise
last year, and it is the hope Of 1t.
w. Croft Jennings, commander Of
the local battalion, that even with
depleted force of officer and petty
officer instructors. the preparations
can be so intensified as to assure
that the battalion will complete its
sea training cruise in September
with higher mark than it obtained
last year.
The battalion will be inspected
next month by high ranking oflcer
OF the regular establishment, and in
anticipation of this and the Sep
TENDER cruise officers and petty Of
ficers are being impressed with the
necessity of making every minute of
the drill night time count to the
utmost. Particular attention Is be-
ing given to battle problems to give
the commanding officers of the three
divisions additional experience in
handling ships as unit and to fur
ther train the enlisted personnel in
their respective duties during an en-
gagement with an enemy. Because
OF the increased efforts to bolster
the national defense forces, 1t Is ex-
pected that the reserve units will be
given considerable instruction along
the battle problems lines during
their approaching period Of sea
training.
1t. Jennings said that a consider
able number Of officers and men
have volunteered for active duty
during the past few months, and
these, coupled with the men who
volunteered earlier in the limited
emergency, have left large gaps in
the battalion ranks. Some of them
are at Pensacola Naval Air Station
and some with the neutrality patrol,
some at the Bureau of Navigation
here and few are undertaking spe-
clal training duty at such points as
the Industrial War College.
Enlistments to fill the vacancies
have been proceeding at a satisfac-
tory rate, it was reported by 1t.
u. g. H. Arthur Lamar, recruiting
officer. but qualified men are re-
ported to be still in considerable de-
mand. The battalion is said now to
be particularly interested in men
who have had training in civilian
life which would equip them for
specialists in the Navy, including
electricians, machinists and similar
trades. Officers now in the volunteer
branch of the reserve who are quail
lfled for general duties af1oat, either
IN the deck or engineering depart
ments, are also being sought.
In this connection, it might be
pointed out that during the interim
between the World War and the be-
ginning Of the present increase in
defense activities, the Naval Re-
serve took in number of officers.
and trained them, only to find that
they now are in key positions in the
Government and other places and
would not be available for call to
duty for service in the Navy in time
OF conflict. Some months ago the
Navy Department undertook to weed
these officers and even enlisted men
out. One OF the first moves was to
eliminate from the Reserve members
who held positions in the navy yards
here and throughout the country.
These men, it was pointed. being
skilled in their trades, would be of
more service to their country in
their civilian occupations than in
the naval billets, and consequently
they were required to severe their
connection with the Reserve.
Even during the current efforts to
increase the personnel of the Reserve
each applicant, whether for conf
mission or for enlistment in the
ranks, is closely examined as to his
civilian employment. to the end that
no man will be commissioned or en-
listed who could not be called to
active duty in the event a mobil-
ization is ordered.
On several week ends the cruises
OF the new training ship of the
local battalion have been consider
ably extended. Ordinarily, officers
report, the ship departs during Sat-
urday forenoons and return on Sun.
Gay evenings. Recently, however.
1t has been departing earlier In
tne week and making extensive
cruises, returning on Sunday as
usual: Over the July 4 period the
vessel left its berth at the WASH
lngton Navy Yard on Wednesday
evening for a three-day cruising
period.
Officers report that on the last
cruise the vessel went to the aid
OF private yacht from WASH
lngton. with about 20 passengers
aboard, and which had lost its
rudder while cruising in the Po-
tomac. The naval training shin
responded to a distress call and
toWed the disabled vessel to its