Evening star., 1942-04-18
Army LiberaIizes
Leave for Recruits
To Settle Affairs
FurIouehs Are Promised
Not loter Thon Five Ooys
After Induction

The War Department once and
for all has settled the main oues-
tion bothering the young men who
didn't know whether TO settle their
affairs before they reported for in
duction or gamble that fiat feet or
color blindness might send them
back to civilian life.
Ever since the induction procedure
was changed to call for induction
Immediately after the Army physi-
cal. the chosen have been whisked
of to reception centers without
selling their cars or settling other
personal affairs, and the rejected
have returned TO civilian life after
carefully disposing Of their autos
and giving UP hard-to-find apart
ments.
The War Department. informed by
selective service of the hardships and
the uncertainty OF their new system,
announced yesterday that a man
selected for service need not COM
pletely clear UP his financial and
physical examination and induction.
Furlough Policy Liberalired.
A greatly liberalized furlough
policy Is their answer to the uncer-
tainty, thus putting on paper a
vague promise of furloughs made
when the induction procedure was
revised from the old system OF
allowing more than q week between
the Army physical and induction.
The high rate OF reflections at
Army physical examination" the
War Department explained. makes
IL undesirable for every selectee to
assume that his order for induction
will mean immediate military service
and where any question or doubt
arises, the inductee should not re-
lease his possessions or otherwise
clear up his financial and personal
affairs before finai action Is taken
by the Army Examination Board"
Furloughs will be granted to in
ductees Immediately after their proc
essing at reception centers, the
War Department said. The fur
Tough will be up to 10 days and win
begin not later than five days after
induction.
The furloughs will be granted from
reception centers after the men have
been classified as to occupation, ex-
pressed their preferences for as-
signments. had their military rec
ords opened and had received their
uniforms. When the men 60 home,
they will be able to take their ci-
william clothes to be stored until they
have use for them again. the War
Department pointed out.
Some Men Get Is Days.
Soldiers living at . great distance
from the reception center may Be
given UP to Is days furlough.
When the induction station b
more than q days travel from the
reception center the induction ofncer
will be authorized to grant furloughs
immediately after selectee enters
service II he prefers. That provision.
however. does not now apply TO
Washington, since most men here
are inducted at Fort Myer. Va. and
go to Camp Lee. Va, which is less
than q days travel.
Selective service has instructed the
States to furnish additional men on
call in order to maintain the now Of
men into Army training centers
while many OF the men are on fur
Tough.
The War Department also ordered
on q national scale what has Just
been adopted here-the furnishing
by local boards OF the names Of Sc
lectees to whom furlough privileges
should be granted. Registrants will
also be informed by local boards Of
the War Departments new furlough
policy.
Misunderstanding widespread.
Camp Lee officials said they had
already granted q number Of fur
loughs to Washington men, although
others who had come without any
evidence that they should be grant
ed furloughs had been refused.
Widespread Misunderstanding Of the
meaning of immediate furlough"
had also led men to believe they
would be given furloughs as soon
as they had been inducted with the
result that some of them even
parked their cars at Fort Myer. ex-
pecting to 90 home Immediately.
Some men who were sure their
physical handicaps would keep them
out of the Army had reported for
induction and found themselves at
Camp Lee without taking any steps
at all to wind up their civilian
affairs. Desperate calls to local
boards from newly inducted selec-
tees followed.
Particularly serious here was the
problem of relinquishing apartments.
Rejected men who had thought they
would be inducted were homeless
Since the men remain at the
reception center only long enough
for the processing and then are sent
on to sometimes distant camps,
selectees who reported to camp with
out evidence that they should be
furloughed faced having TO settle
their affairs at a thousand-mile
distance.