Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-09-22
Naval Reservists
Here Plan 10
Receive Trophy
Citizen Soldiers
EIoted Over Award
Of First-PIuce honors


members of the First Battalion
District Naval Reserves were greeted
last week with the news that the!
had won first place for efflcienc!
among the divisions of the countr.
in the annual competition.
It was the first time the battalion
has captured first honors. 1t. w
Croft Jennings, commander OF th'
battalion, is making plans for cere'
monies incident to the formal pre-
sentation of the trophy. The troph!
is one of two which was donated b!
the United States Naval Reserve
Officers Association, one for tn
best battalion in the country ane
the other for the best division. The
local battalion has three divisions
The Sd Division of the local bat
talon won second place among tne
divisions of the country, While Uni
LIST Division took third place.
The markings of the battalion anc
the divisions are on the basis OF the
showings made by the organlza-
tions during their annual inspec-
tons by a board of regular oflcer'
from the Navy Department. the
drill attendance for the year, the
attendance on the annual cruise
and the gunnery results.
Each of the division officers o.
the units taking second and thlrc
Mace will receive letters of COM
mendation from the Secretary OF
the Navy complimenting them or
the results of their efforts In bring
ing their units to such high state
of efficiency.
II has been a must successful year
for the local citizen sailors, as theli
performance at target practice or
the annual cruise of last summer
brought to them the right to wear
the naval "E" for gunnery EN-
cheney. The scores they made our
ing the cruise Just ended will not
be known for some time, or rather
the relative standing in the shoot
ing with the big guns-the scores
are never made public.
There has been general tighten
ing up on the acceptance OF young
men of the city who are seeking
commissions in various branches OF
the Naval Reserve. 1t was lndl-
Gated at the local headquarters IN
the Washington Navy Yard that
there is still a great number of ap-
plications coming in, but that any
that are accepted now must be IN
the tip of physical condition. Whlle
from general health standpoint
all those who have been accepted
are in the best, but such physlcal
defects as faulty vision have been
waived. Because the various
branches are about saturated with
commissioned applicants, it was SAID
that, except in rare instances where
a mans service was of such par
ticular value that the Navy really
needed him, there would be no
more waivers even for vision. Those
applicants who have been coming
in during the past few weeks have
been given eye tests first, and when
It was found that vision was affect
ed the doctors have rejected them
and their papers have been returned
to the inactive files. No further
work has been done on the cases.
However, the saturation point, II
was indicated, has been reached In
the special volunteer branches OF
the Reserve, such as the 1ntelll-
gence and Legal Corps; the latter
have been filled many months ago
although up until a short time age
the department was taking men IN
the intelligence branch. Restric-
lions are even being placed on this
now, it was said These officers OF
the specialist branches have hac
no seagoing training, and their serv-
fees are not intended to be USED
afoat. The general idea is to give
them billets ashore in their special
field, so that they may relieve line
officers of the regular establishment
for shipboard duty. However, even
before they can be used on these
shore positions they must receive a
period of indoctrination into naval
procedure and tactics.
What the Navy really needs now
is a large group of seagoing officers
and special steps are being taken to
fill the need for this by the estab-
lishment of the new group or class
known as the VT. This will bring
forth a group of younger men,
whereas in the other specialist
branches men seeking commissions
are of such ages that they have
to be given higher rank than the
entrance one of ensign in order to
keep them up to the age-in-grade
requirements. The new group Is
composed of young men, most OF
whom will have the minimum Of
college training, which is two years
They will be given period OF g
months training afoat and then
If found to have aptitude for the
service. will be appointed cadets
and sent to colleges for a forced
draft" course of training leading Il
the rank of ensign in the Naval
Reserve. 1t is the general plan
that these young men upon gradua.
ton will apply for immediate active
duty, and they will be given it tt
prepare them for service aboarc
the ships which will be placed ii
commission as fast as they are de-
livered by the builders. Even afte
their graduation the men will hav'
to volunteer for active duty unles
the President issues full emer
gency proclamation, when they car
be called without their consent.