An Act to provide for the appointment and promotion of the director and assistant directors of the band of the United States Marine Corps, and for other purposes.
PL 84-774 (H.R.8290), enacted 07/24/1956

628 
PUBLIC LA^ 774-JULY 24, 1956 
[70 S T A T . 
July 24, 1956 
[H. R. 8290] 
Public Law 774 
CHAPTER 686 
AN ACT 
To provide for the appointment and promotion of the director and assistant 
directors of the band of the United States Marine Corps, and for other 
purposes. 
U. S. M a f i n e 
Band. 
34 u s e 701. 
Director and as-
sistant directors. 
Grade. 
Promotion. 
Restriction. 
Retirement. 
R e v o c a t i o n of 
designation. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United /States of America in Congress assembled, That subsection 517 
(a) of the Act of October 12, 1949 (63 Stat. 833) is amended to read 
as follows: 
"(a) The band of the United States Marine Corps shall consist of 
one director, two assistant directors, and such other personnel in 
such numbers and distributed in such grades and ranks as the Secre-
tary of the Navy may determine necessary and appropriate. 
Here-
after during concert tours approved by the President, personnel of 
the Marine Band shall suffer no loss of allowances." 
SEC. 2. (a) The Secretary of the Navy shall designate the director 
and assistant directors of the Marine Band from among qualified 
personnel of the United States Marine Corps or the United States 
Marine Corps Reserve. 
Persons so designated may, upon the recom-
mendation of the Secretary of the Navy, be appointed by the President, 
by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to commissioned 
grades in the Regular Marine Corps as authorized by this Act. 
(b) The initial appointment to a commissioned grade of any person 
designated as director shall be in the grade of captain except that 
any such person who, at the time of such designation, holds an appoint-
ment in a higher grade may be appointed in such higher grade, but 
not in a higher grade than that of lieutenant colonel. The initial 
appointment to a commissioned grade of any person designated as 
an assistant director shall be in a grade below that of captain. 
SEC. 3. The Secretary of the Navy shall prescribe regulations for the 
promotion of persons designated as director or assistant director of the 
Marine Band and the President, by and with the advice and consent 
of the Senate, may from time to time appoint them to higher grades, 
but the grade of the director shall not be higher than lieutenant 
colonel, and the grades of assistant directors shall not be higher than 
captain. 
SEC. 4. No person who accepts a commission under this Act shall, 
while serving thereunder, be entitled to any pay and allowances from 
the United States except as provided by law for the grade in which 
serving, but no such person shall suffer any reduction in pay and 
allowances to which he was entitled at the time of such appointment. 
SEC. 5. Directors and assistant directors of the Marine Band and 
former directors and assistant directors who have held appointments 
under this Act, when retired shall be retired in and with retired pay 
based upon the highest grade held pursuant to this Act in which the 
Secretary of the Navy determines that they have served satisfactorily, 
unless entitled to higher grade or retired pay under other provisions 
of law. 
SEC. 6. The Secretary of the Navy, in liis discretion, may revoke a 
designation as director or assistant director made pursuant to this 
Act. Upon such revocation, appointment to commissioned grade under 
the provisions of this Act shall terminate, and the individual concerned 
shall be discharged from the service or shall have the option of rever-
sion to the grade and status held at the time of his designation as 
director or assistant director. 
70 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 776-JULY 24, 1956 
629 
SEC. 7. Section 11 of the Act of March 4, 1925 (43 Stat. 1274), as 
amended by section 1 (c) of the Act of June 29, 1946 (60 Stat. 343), 
is hereby repealed, and all other laws and parts of laws are hereby 
repealed insofar as they may be inconsistent with the provisions 
of this Act. 
Approved July 24, 1956, 
Repeals. 
34 u s e 701. 
Public Law 775 
CHAPTER 687 
AN ACT 
To establish a date of rank for pay purposes for certain Naval Reserve officers 
promoted to the grades of lieutenant and lieutenant commander. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That, notwithstand-
ing the provisions of the Act of July 24, 1941 (55 Stat. 603), those 
officers of the Naval Keserve— 
(a) who were selected for promotion to lieutenant or lieutenant 
commander by selection boards of officers whose reports were 
approved by the Secretary of the Navy on April 11, 1952, April 
14,1952, April 22,1952, April 25, 1952, May 20, 1952, or May 29, 
1952; and 
(b) who were promoted to the grade for which selected while 
on active duty, 
shall be considered to have been promoted on the date which is stipu-
lated in the appointing orders to be the date of rank in the grade to 
which promoted, and shall be entitled to pay, allowances, and prece-
dence from this date of rank. 
Approved July 24, 1956. 
July 24, 1956 
[H. R. Veil] 
N a v a l 
Reserve 
officers. 
Date of rank. 
14 u s e 240, 310; 
34 u s e 350 et seq. 
Public Law 776 
CHAPTER 688 
AN ACT 
To amend the provisions of the Revised Statutes, relating to physical examina-
tions preliminary to promotion of officers of the naval service. 
July 24, 1956 
IH. R. 9892] 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That section 1493 
of the Eevised Statutes is amended to read as follows: 
" S E C 1493. No officer of the Kegular Navy or Eegular Marine Corps 
may be promoted to a grade above that of ensign in the Navy or 
second lieutenant in the Marine Corps until he has qualified therefor 
by such physical examination as the Secretary of the Navy may pre-
scribe. No officer shall be excluded from a promotion to which he 
would otherwise be regularly entitled if in his case the Secretary of 
the Navy or the Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery when 
authorized by the Secretary of the Navy determines that his physical 
disqualification was by reason of wounds received in the line of duty 
and that such wounds do not incapacitate him for the performance of 
useful service in the higher grade." 
SEC. 2. The following laws and parts of laws are repealed: 
(1) Section 1494 of the Revised Statutes (34 U. S. C. 272) ; 
(2) The last sentence of the tenth paragraph under the heading 
"Marine Corps" of the Act of August 29, 1916 (ch. 417, 39 Stat. 611; 
34 U. S. C. 666); and 
(3) Section 9 of the Act of May 29, 1934 (ch. 367, 48 Stat. 812; 
34U. S. C. 665). 
Approved July 24, 1956. 
Navy officers. 
Physical exami-
nation for promo-
tion. 
34 u s e 271.