Evening star., 1940-08-11
Reserve Radio
Personnel Prepares
For Active Year
Navy Continues
To Seek Reservists
For Regular Duty

For Regular Duty
In preparation for the period Of
intensive training during the
Armory season, 1t. Comdr. J. H.
Nicholson, commanding the Com
munications Reserve Division of
the District of Columbia, Is sound
ing out the enlisted personnel.
He has sent out a QUESTIONABLE
to all members of the organization
to ascertain their wishes. AS soon
as these are answered they will be
tabulated and every effort will be
made to provide in the instruction
program the desires Of the majority
Of the personnel. Because many
members of the local division are
amateur radio operators, they have
their own transmitters and re-
ceivers at home, and Comdr. Mich
olson has asked them to make 1t
known whether they would rather
attend the drills at the armory on
Thursdays and man the Naval Re-
serve radio station during the COM
petition season or stay at home
and participate in the "over-the-
air. drills with their own sets. He
also has given them an opportunity
to pick the period of over-the-air
drills from Thursday or Tuesday
nights or Sunday mornings. He
also has asked them to state
whether they will be available for
active duty, for two weeks, three
months, six months, one year or
during the duration of the limited
emergency. In order to make as
signments of work in accord with
the wishes of the men, he has asked
what the primary interest of each
is-that is, radio operating, radio
material, signaling or Office duties.
A space also has been provided In
the QUESTIONABLE wherein the men
may make their own suggestions.
outside of those specially mentioned
in the paper.
Comdr Nicholson informed the
members in a communication last
week that men are needed for duty
at the Navy Department here and
at the Norfolk, Va, Radio School.
He also pointed out that enlisted
men of any rating who are prof.
cient In tipping will be accepted for
duty for the duration of the limited
emergency in the Navy Department.
Radiomen, signalmen or seamen of
any rating, he said, will be accepted
for duty at the Naval Training Sta
ton at Norfolk, Va. He said that
the duty for the Navy Department
is for the duration of the emer-
gency while that at Norfolk is for
minimum period of six months.
Two men enlisted last Thursday
and were Immediately ordered to
active duty in the Navy Depart
ment, upon their own request.
Recruiting officers of the local Re-
serve battalion were overwhelmed
last week by the large number of
young men seeking enlistment in
the Reserve. The facilities of the
building used as an armory, it was
said, were taxed to capacity in
order to handle the great influx
of new personnel. Many OF the
young men are joining the Re-
serve in an effort to beat the train
ing service with the land forces
which will be required by the pro-
posed bill.
1t. Comdr. j. L. Cardwell and
1t. E. T. Gerry, medical officers
OF the local battalion, have been
working necessarily in an effort
to conduct examinations of all of
the men who apply.
They also are trying to get the
members of the three divisions
ready for their training aboard de-
stroyers. This work consists of in
jecting typhoid prophylaxis and
vaccinations.
In addition to providing the pre-
ventive medicine, all of those who
take the cruise will have to be given
thorough physical examination to
determine their fitness for sea duty.
This will not be undertaken until
the week before they start.
The rest of the battalion, while
making preparations, including in
tensive training of the gun crews
and instruction in ships operation,
will have to absorb the new men,
and the officers will have to give
them the necessary preliminary in
struction as to the duties of a sailor
before they are taken on the cruise.
One OF the big problems is that of
the paymaster of the local battalion,
1t. John E. Schultz, who will be
faced with the task of completely
Quitting the new men. In addi-
ton to providing them with uni
forms and bedding he will have to
get out the bedding for the several
hundred members of the three divi-
sions and have it ready to take
aboard the destroyers as soon as they
arrive at the Washington yard.
1t. j. P. Wetherill has returned
after a tour of training duty at the
Edgewood Arsenal of the Armory
where he completed an advance