Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-10-07
1,100 Reserves
Prepare for
Active Duty
Navy, Marine Units
May Leave in Two
Or Three Weeks

More than HOO Navy and Marine
Reserves today began making plans
to leave their homes and businesses
here when the Nays mobilization
order, calling nearly $4,000 men to
the colors, actually comes.
Official orders sent out by the
Navy Saturday to commanding Of
f1cers of all units modified had not
arrived this morning, but the Nays
announcement put all concerned on
notice to stand by" for active duty.
Most reliable indications pointed
to a call to the local units to leave
in two or three weeks, although
this was an unofficial report. The
exact time when the men will be
called up is expected to be known
within few days.
Under the Navy Department mo-
bllization order the actual call to
active service in this local area,
known as the Potomac and Severn
ltd, w AL NC Ill Vic lldllNlS VI klulllll al
George T. Pettengill, commandant
of the Navy Yard and superintend-
ent of the Naval Gun Factory, it
was explained at the department.
He will be kept informed Of the
local needs for putting the reserves
into active status and will issue the
specific mobilization order with its
date, in his capacity as chief of the
Potomac and Severn area. The
units are to be called up as they
are needed, it was said.
At headquarters of the Naval and
Marine Reserves here, officials were
busy with activities preparatory to
going to active duty.
Units Make Preparations.
At the Navy Yard. work centered
on the Reserve Armory, headquar-
tiers for the LIST Battalion Organized
Reserves. 1t. Comdr Arthur B. Nc
Creary. u S. N, is director of Naval
Reserves for the District of Co.
lumbia. 1t. William Croft Jennings,
commanding the battalion, was max
ing plans to put the unit into action
At the armory of the 5th Battalion
Marine Corps Reserve, 458 Indiana
avenue NV, 1t Col. Harvey L.
Miller, directed work which included
not only preliminary preparations
to put his unit into service, but also
to close up the old building.
The armory belongs to the Dis
trict of Columbia and is slated to
be RACED, for construction of another
part of the new municipal center.
Preparing to vacate the building,
the marine battalion outfit today
was making an inventory of all fur
nishlngs and equipment which they
will not have to take on duty with
them. All of this equipment will be
turned back to the Marine Corps
and the building closed.
Recruiting Speeded.
Recruiting service was speeded.
Col. Miller announced the Office will
be open tonight and through Fri
day, after $3.50 o'clock for examina-
ton and acceptance of recruits, be-
tween the ages of II and IS.
The two aviation units here which
will be modified are located at the
Naval Reserve Aviation Base at
Anacostia, where activities prelim-
mary to departure were under way
today. The two units are: The
Scouting Squadron 6 Reserve of the
Navy Reserves. in command of
Comdr. Paul E. Gillespie. and Ma
rine Scouting Squadron Reserve,
under Capt. Ross Burchard. Both
these men are pilots.
The stand by order went out
Saturday to commanders of the Is
naval districts in the continental
United States and offshore areas.
From the district commandments it
will be relayed to individual men,
bers of the Organized Naval Re-
serve and the Fleet Reserve, and
the Organized and Fleet Marine
Corps Reserve.
Correspond to Guardsmen.
The Organized Reserve forces
correspond, roughly, to the National
Guard, being members of local units
which undergo periodic drills and
other training
Navy officials said it could not be
announced at this time whether all
the Reservists would be ordered into
uniform on the same date or would
be modified in groups as needed to
man new craft or fill other posts.
Men are to be modified in their
own vicinity and then probably
transferred to naval and Marine
Corps stations for preliminary train
ing.
From these stations. they will be
transferred to ships and shore estab-
llshments as needed
The period of active duty will de-
pend on individual ages, terms Of
enlistment and other considerations.
All but about 5000 of the Organ
lied Naval Reservists signed up for
four years. before the enlistment
term was heightened recently to six
years. In the event Of war they
would serve for the duration, but
otherwise would be subject to dis
charge on expiration of their enlist
mentS.
Nearby Maryland and Virginia are
both represented in the 5th Battalion
of Marines The 1st Platoon of Com
pany B at Alexandria is in COM
mand of 1t. E. M. Rice; while the
I'd Platoon of the same company is
located at Rockville, and is COM
manded by 1t. Robert Walker.
Doubled Pay Roll Seen