Evening star., 1942-02-08
Drill Facilities
For Naval Reserves
Being Studied
Navigation Bureau
To Issue New
Training Rules

Plans for providing drill facilities
Tor members Of the United States
Naval Reserve who are candidates
for appointment to the United States
Naval Academy next year are being
studied by the Bureau Of Navigation
of the Navy Department, but are not
expected to be ready for a month
or more. It was said they will be
ready for publication in time to give
prospective candidates time to de-
termine whether they desire to try
for the appointments under the new
conditions.
This Is the first year under a
revised system when all of the mac
tive Naval Reserve units were called
to active duty. The men were given
eight weeks of training at one of
the naval training stations and then
placed on the inactive list to attend
private preparatory schools to pre-
pare for the entrance examinations
While on the inactive list as enlisted
men, they were subject to recall to
active duty at any time that an
emergency might require, and those
who fail to pass the examinations
will be subject to call to sea duty
in the grades in which they enlisted.
Divisions have been conducting drills
on one night each week in order
that the men might comply with the
drill attendance requirements.
1t was said that the plan now
under consideration is to have the
men enlisted prior to July l next,
because of the fact that they have
to be in the Naval Reserve at least
one year prior to entrance in the
Academy.
Kept in Training.
The plan under consideration Is
80 that the men may be kept in the
training stations. 1t was pointed
out that the naval preparatory
schools now have on their stats
many instructors from private pre-
paratory schools, and that the former
have reached a high state of eff
cheney. On the other hand, it was
said many of the preparatory schools
are still in operation, and to with
draw these prospective Naval Acad-
emy candidates would materially cut
down on the clients for these schools.
Thousands of Reservists now be-
ing formally enlisted in the service
are being told to remain at their
homes, in school or at work until
they receive q call to report for
training.
In connection with those now
drilling in the candidate divisions, it
was said tfat plans are also being
consideredsa to what to do with
them between the time they take the
tests in April and their receipt of
information as to whether they
passed and report to the Academy.
There has been some discussion of
calling them to immediate active
duty upon completion of the exami-
nations and sending them to sea.
Those who receive appointments
then could be recalled from their
sea assignments and sent to the
Academy, while those who failed
would be left at sea on inactive duty,
unless, of course, they are still within
the entrance age limit. when they
might be permitted to take the tests
again for the class to enter in July
of 1912.
Local officers report that for this
area their quota is about filled.
Attention now Is being given by
the Reserve recruiting officers to OBJ
tain tradesmen for enlistment in the
~ construction regiments which
oee being formed to be sent to naval
areas. Men of all classes familiar
with construction and construction
methods, even accountants familiar
with construction cost accounting,
are being enlisted and commissioned
IA this large group.