Evening star., 1942-04-12
Drill Program
For Naval Reserve
Being Planned
Many Applicants for
Training Unable to
Meet Ce-tuin Essentials

Meet Certain Essentials
Drilling activities of the locel
Naval Reserve will be confined
largely during the spring and sum-
mer months to the training of young
officers who have entered the Re-
serve from civil life and who have
not had any contact with strictly
naval activities. They were taken
into the service largely because of
their college training and the fact
that their services could be used in
some shore capacity of the naval
establishment.
Those who have been in training
here for year, in preparation for
the competition for entrance into
the Naval Academy, are expected
to end their instruction activities
the latter part of the month. The
officers who have been engaged in
their instruction will be used largely
In training the officer divisions and
in naval practices and procedure of
a corps of enlisted men who also
have been taken into the service
direct from civil Life and likewise
have had no other training.
For this purpose the armory in
the Washington Navy Yard is being
used, although much of the pro-
curement activities has been trans
ferred to 1920 G street NV.
The Navy declared one of the
greatest obstacles to its program of
securing and training men for
service has been that many appli-
cants have not had the necessary
instruction in certain essentials to
permit them to be trained success
fully in the more technical fields.
Mathematics, physics. chemistry,
basic engineering subjects, princi-
pies of navigation, naval history
and customs. Morse code, are all
said to be subjects which can be
encouraged among college under
graduates and which will fit them
as applicants for the Naval Reserve
by the time that they finish their
courses.
1t was said the Navy will need
many officers who will serve entirely
on jobs on shore. In many cases
these might be found among sue
cessful businessmen who are willing
to give up their civil activities in
order to assist the Navy in getting
the job done of winning this war.
The great difficulty appears to be to
get to the attention Of the Navy
Department their qualifications, less
college degrees. under the present
system of processing them through
personnel procurement Offices.
Duty Of Institutions.
In the case of men now in COL
lege, the institutions will have an
important duty Of directing them
along lines where, when they grad
uate. they will be ready to fill some
billet in the Naval Reserve.
College students, other than en-
gineering, who do not meet the re-
quirements and who are desirous Of
immediate service are vitally needed
in all of the various enlisted classi-
fications of the regular Navy and
Marine Corps, as well as the Reserve
components. Enlisted men, Of in
telligence are needed, and it was
pointed out that their educational
qualifications should insure rapid
promotion for them.
Men are needed for duty as radio
air plot officers. Those who qualify
will be given two months instruc-
ton at a fighter director school,
and then assigned to duty on board
vessels carrying aircraft to act as
assistants to the fighter director
officer and under training to quail
ify for the principal position. In
addition to having college degrees
applicants should have knowledge
of aviation, descriptive geometry,
mathematics or astronomy, ability
to learn to plot aircraft by radio
with minimum of time under in
struction. They must be between
81 and 38 years of age.
Operations officers in the air
service are needed as assistants to
ofncerS at naval air stations, Naval
Reserve aviation bases, training CEN
ters, operational training bases and
aircraft squadrons ashore and afloat.
They must be college men, and must
have experience in airport manage
ment. 1t is desirable they have
training In airport traffic control.
Holders of private pilot licenses are
to be given preference. The age
limits are 10 to A years.
Another branch of the air arm
wants Photographic Interpretation
officers. who will be given an eight
weeks course at Anacostia, D. c., and
then assigned to duties involving
the study of aerial photographs for
the purpose Of identifying indus
trial and manufacturing buildings,
power plants, airports, munitions
dumps, camouf1age and the like.
Thev must he 10 tn 22 wears of are