Evening star., 1943-01-31
Foh Myer Becomes
Area Induction Station
In An-Service Draft
Army Accepts Physical
Standards Of Navy on
Eve Of New Program
By MIRIAM GUTENBERG.

BY MIRIAM GUTENBERG.
The Army has accepted Nav,
physical standards in the appor
tionment Of selectees under tn,
all-service draft which zoe.
into effect tomorrow, an Arm,
spokesman disclosed yesterday
At the same time, it was reveale.
that Fort Myer, Va, which has in
Quoted thousands of men from thi
area into the Army will become thu
joint Army and Navy recruiting ane
inductions station with 20 per cen
Of Its induction station personne
composed Of Navy men.
Most details of the procedure under
which men will be given a chance
to express their choice of service al
Fort Myer also were made known
The first unit of selectees to test the
new system here will be a colorec
group leaving for Fort Myer early
tomorrow.
The pool which supplies men fol
both the Army and Navy. under ar
apportionment system, will include
only those who meet the new set OF
standards, those of the Navy.
Services Get Equal Choice.
After the men in this pool have
been apportioned, the Army can fill
the rest of its needs with men
who do not meet the high stand
ards although these men will not
be counted towards the quota, In
other words, both services will be
given an equal opportunity to OBJ
tain men of the same physical
standards.
Here are the main differences In
the former standards:
The Army does not insist on
color vision. The Navy does.
Minimum and maximum heights
In the Army are so and 78 inches
The Navy's height range is 81 and
rs inches.
The Army's teeth standards have
been lower than those of the Navy.
d The Army will accept men with
venereal diseases provided they have
no complications and are otherwise
qualified. The Navy won't.
The Navy demands normal hear
Ing in each ear. The Army doesn't.
The Navy's eye standards are
higher. The new single set Of
standards requires a vision of 20 Is
with both eyes without glasses, pro-
vided the more imperfect eye is
not less than 20/70.
Some Details Unsettled.
Although some details are yet to
be worked out in giving the men
their choice of service, the system
arranged yesterday after a session
of Army and Navy ofIicials at Fort
Myer calls for the receptionist at
the induction station to note down
preferences for service.
incidentally, although the chances
that the Navy quota, which is much
smaller than that of the Army,
usually will be filled by men who
express a choice. for it, men who do
prefer the Army were advised to
mention their preference, since it
is possible they otherwise would be
drafted for the Navy to fill a call
After the men take their physical
examination at the induction sta
ton, those who are acceptable for
both services because they have met
the new single standards will ap-
pear before preliminary clasSifi-
cation board made up of an equal
number of Army and Navy nom
commissioned officers.
The non-coms will talk to them
individually discover their particu-
lar skills and talents and fill out a
form recommending their service
assignments, as far as possible on
the basis of indicated choices. Then
the forms will be sent on to a joint
assignment board composed of one
Army and one Navy officer who will
make the final decision.
Veterans Get Same Service.
Normally an ex-service man will
be included in the quota OF the
branch in which he has served.
Selectees apportioned to the Army
will be inducted at Fort Myer and,
as usual, will be given their choice
of going on TO camp or returning to
their homes for week on reserve
status.
Selectees for the Navy will be
taken to the Navy Recruiting Sta
ton here for induction. Since the
Fort Myer station operates only for
the Army and Navy. it will be up to
the Navy to assign its men to the
Navy Marine Corps or Coast Guard.
Navy men, after induction, will be
given the same choice as Army
draftees on the question of a week
In the reserves. The Marine Corps
announced yesterday that selectees
indicted into that service will be
given an option as to whether they
want to proceed at once to the
marine recruit depot at Paris
Island, S. c., or return to their
homes to wind up their affairs.
If a man chooses to return to his
home before going to Paris Island
1t was announced his transfer there
will be deferred for a few days.
On the day the new marine Is
scheduled TO go to Paris Island
he will report to the marine re-
cruiting and induction station here
from which he will be transferred
to the depot.
P~1:o Eoo T,,k AeLa1