Evening star., 1940-11-16
u. 5. Re|axes Rigorous
PHYSICAL Examinations
For Guard Officers
Action Follows Choree
Of Retirement Efforts:
Reservists Also included

Under pressure from National
Guard organizations. the War De-
partment has relaxed its rigorous
physical examinations for Guard
and Reserve omcers being indicted
into the Army.
Because they result in many Of
the high ranking Guard officers, es-
pecially the older ones, being forced
into retirement, the examinations
were the target for vehement pro-
tests at the recent convention Of
the National Guard Association here.
Charges were made that application
of the examinations to the Regular
Army would end the careers Of many
general officers. Il was claimed the
Guard officers from the service in
favor Of younger and more physi-
cally At heutenants and captains.
Yesterday afternoon the War De-
partment announced new instruc-
tions regarding physical examina-
tions for Guard and Reserve officers,
which were admitted to be . relaxa-
ton Of the former Instructions. The
latter were issued on September Is,
just five days before the first Ma
tional Guard officers were indicted
into the Federal service.
Reasonable Waiver Permitted.
Reasonable waivers are to be
granted, 1t was announced when the
interest Of the Government or Of
the military service Is not COM
promised.
Corps area and departmental
commanders and other reviewing Of
ncers," 1t was announced, are au-
thoriSed to waive physical defects
existing at the time Of entry upon
active duty II such defects will
not interfere with the satisfactory
performance Of field duties approp-
rate to the grade and assignment of
the individuals concerned, and If the
nature Of the defect Is such that
1t is not likely to be aggravated to
. disabling degree rs . result of
active military service.
waivers viii be granted under
this authority only upon the written
request Of the affected individual,
and in the case of the National
Guard Officers, upon the recon-
mendation Of the division or sepa-
rate unit commander concerned.
Each request for . waiver will be
accompanied by an afIidavit from
the individual acknowledging that
the physical defects on which waiver
Is requested existed prior to entry
into active military service, and that
they were not the result Of such
service"
At its recent convention, the Ma
tional Guard officers adopted q reso-
luton expressing their willingness
to accept waivers absolving the Fed
eral Government Of certain response
bilities when the defects SO waived
would not affect their military use
fulness.
Guard Primarily Involved.
Guard officers, more than the COM
missioned Reservists, are naturally
more concerned over the authoriza-
ton for waivers. Most of the Reserve
omcers are younger men and hold
rank In the Junior grades.
Another phase Of the relaxation in
examinations Affects both Reserve
and Guard omcers.
In some cases officers, who received
two examinations by medical boards
within the first 30 days after entry
upon active duty, the department
said. have been relieved because of
findings Of the second board were
ct variance with the findings Of the
original board. In this connection.
the department announced.
Where . preliminary board of
three or more medical officers :.
has found IN omcer physically ouali-
ned for extended active duty, the
recommendations Of any succeeding
board viii be based solely upon those
parts Of the second or final examina-
ton that were not within the SCOPE
OF the preliminary board examina-
non, such Is chest X-rays, electro
cardiography and SOCIOLOGICAL tests.
II the first examination was Of the
hnal type, no other examination viii
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