Evening star., 1940-12-29
Naval Reserve
Unit Leaves for
Panama This Week
Third Division
Scheduled to Sail
On New Yeor Day

Scheduled to Sail
On New Yeor Day
With one Of their divisions sched.
uled to leave this week for sea duty
aboard one Of the destroyers of the
Atlantic Neutrality Patrol, the LIST
Battalion. District Naval Reserve.
VIII hold its final drill of the current
year as farewell drill Of the com.
plete three-division organization.
Because its regular drill night falls
on New Year eve, the drill will be
held tomorrow night. The Sd Fleet
DIVISION, commanded by 1t. r. S.
Kirk, has been selected by the Navy
Department as the first of the local
divisions to answer the first call here
for active duty.
They will celebrate New Year Dav
oy mobilizing at the local armory.
Tor, according to present plans, they
Will leave in the late afternoon on
a norfolk and Washington steafner
1or Norfolk. Upon arrival there they
Will go to the Naval Operating Base
at Hampton Roads, Va, where the
naval transport and ammunition
snip VIII be awaiting them. They
are due to board the ship prior to
noon on Thursday for the trip to
Panama. 1t is now understood that
en- route the vessel will put into the
united States Naval Station at
guantanamo, Cuba, for a short stav
before proceeding through the Carib.
bean to the Atlantic end of the Canal.
Present plans do not call for any
fanfare In connection with the de-
parture Of the first Naval Reserve
contingent to answer the call to the
colors. They will be transported.
with their bags and equipment to
the dock in trucks. But it is ex-
pected that their relatives and
friends will be on the dock to bid the
local citizen sailors bon voyage on
"Trip that will last at least a year.
IL was pointed out that not all of
the Naval Reserve units are being
oroered to duty at the same time
and therefore, If it Is determined
that a year is to be the limit of
training, not all of them will have
TO be released at the same time.
thus giving the Navy an opportunity
70 catch up with the vacancies
created by taking men into the
regular establishment. While the
problem of enlisted personnel is an
important one because of the highly
technical nature of the war ship
operation, nevertheless the officer
personnel problem is even more i'm
portant, but in addition to the Nayss
Academy graduations, the service
will be fed by scores of men from
colleges throughout the country
which have established naval train
ing courses, leading up to commits
SONS as enSlgnS in the Naval Reserve
at the time of graduation from the
regular courses at the colleges. The
Importance of the air service to the
Navy also probably will see a number
OF Naval Reserve training courses
established. and increases in the
courses at Pensacola.
While the Sd Division is en- route
TO take over one of the destroyers.
the lst and I'd are awaiting orders.
1t is believed they will be given
service similar to that assigned the
Sd Division.
The divisions which remain be-
hind for short time longer will
have the benefit of more advanced
training to be given by the naval
instructors assigned here, and by
ofncers to come from the Navy De.
partment, each specialist in his
line. All of the training will be
with the idea In mind Of sea duty.
with a minimum of effort on In
fantry and the usual land OPERA
tons. With the equipment set I'D in
the space which has been provided
in the new administration building
at the Washington Navy Yard for
armory purposes, the two divisions
Will have a better opportunity to
carry out their shore training than
they have had at any time before.
They have moved from their old
quarters, which are to be razed for
construction of a new armory which
will be used not only by the present
forces when they are placed on the
inactive list again, but also by the
forces which will be recruited here
from time to time to fill the gaps
and keep the service supplied with
force of enlisted personnel.
All of the instruction to be re.
ceiVed by the reservists, who re-
main on the inactive list will have
to be in the armory, as the Navy
Department has withdrawn the
training ship which was assigned
here about year ago. This vessel
has been ordered to New York and
will be fitted out for patrol duty.
Officers of the battalion an
nounced there are still a number of
vacancies in the ranks of the two
remaining divisions. which they
hope they will be able to fill before
the organizations are ordered into
active service. Men enlisting now,
If they show aptitude for the serv-
ice, it was explained, may have an
opportunity to be advanced in rating
before the divisions go into active
service, and even If they don't, it
was explained that after they are in
the regular establishment their
length of service plus their ability
will enable them to get more rapid
advancement.
The Reserve is still In need of
specialists, such as stenographers-
typists, radiomen and signalmen. In
the latter two grades, even If the
men have had no experience, but are
interested in this branch, they will
be given an opportunity to advance
themselves by attending courses of
instruction for this purpose, 1t was
said.
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