Evening star., 1942-06-21
New Naval Reserve
Division Given
Special Courses
First Group Expected
To Finish in Two Weeks;
Doctors Are Sought

The three divisions Of Naval Re-
serve officers. composed Of young
men who have recently come into
the service from civil life, without
any prior military training and who
are being given a stiff indoctrina-
ton course by former members of
the District Reserve battalion, were
introduced to some infantry work
at the drill last week.
The preliminary work was largely
that of naval etiquette, concerning
principally an outline of the naval
customs and procedure, both toward
officers and enlisted men. 1t was
decided after a perior of service at
the Navy Department and other
naval activities here they should
have some basic training.
The officers explained they have
found some apt personnel among
the group assigned to the first dl-
vision. In fact, some of them have
absorbed the work so well that they
have been made Junior instructors
of their fellow officers taking the
same course.
The first group is expected to
complete its work in two weeks, and
the other two before the first OF
September. While their scores OF
other officers on waiting list to be
formed into new divisions. it has
not yet been determined when the
new groups will be started At the
present Ane the training has been
limited to the three divisions, as 1t
was impossible to be continually
starting new groups in the middle
of a course with the limited number
of commissioned officer inst ctors
available to assist in the wori..
Some of the men have advanced
far enough to begin this week the
instruction in visual signaling and
in the formation and operation OF
naval gun crews. Particular atten-
ton will be given to the work OF
gun crews, in which the officers will
take the stations usually manned
by enlisted men, and shown how to
do the work they might eventually
be called upon to direct should they
be sent to sea.
Lack Reports.
The Navy Department is without
reports from its officer procurement
centers throughout the country as
to the response to its call for former
Naval Reserve officers of the last
war to apply for recommissioning.
While some of these officers, it is
believed, are above the present
maximum age limit of SO years,
it was said that the vast majority
of them are in the As to so age
group. The demand for trained per-
sonnel is becoming so great that in
special circumstances trained off,
GERS who held important assign
ments at sea during the last war
might be accepted if slightly more
than the maximum age limit. Each
application, it was indicated, will
be considered on its merits. Whether
these officers are to be assigned to
sea duty or to shore blllets, where
their sea training would be of value
cO dS W yOhAiSSt oNo
officers was not known to the pro-
curement Office. Not a few of the
officers. it was said, held assign
ments as heads of departments on
ships. and many of them saw actual
sea service for the full period Of the
war under wartime conditions and
the great number of them were on
convoy duty.
There has been a slight falling
of in the number Of applicants at
the local procurement Office Tor
commissions although the officers
have backlog of applications on
which they are working to prepare
the records for dispatch to the Navy
Department for final action. The
necessary investigation of such OIL
GERS requires considerable tune, II
was said, as no application can be
forwarded to the department with
out a full report of the findings OF
the personal investigation.
The Navy is looking for special
duty officers for the Medical Corps
of the Reserve. They are to be as
signed duties in connection with the
following specialties: Industrial
hygienist. enComologist, malariolo-
gist, bacteriologist, serologist, par
asitologist. environmental physiolo-
gist, biostatistician, PHYSICIST, psy-
chologist, pharmacist, chemist
psocho-psysiologist, medical special
ist and medical research The age
limit for this class is between the
ages of 19 and A years.
In the case of prospective medical
and dental officers, it was stated it
is the policy of the Navy Depart
ment at this time not to order pro-
bationary medical students to active
duty until they have received their
degrees, and in the case of medical
students. at least one year of intern
ship.