The recent increase in general interest in the Naval Reserve has prompted the proverbial myriad inquiries as to the requirements for eligibility. Thousands of letters and postcards were received in the Bureau of Navigation in the two months immediately following the President’s proclamation of a limited national emergency. In general the reply to all of the inquiries was the same—“Contact your naval district commandant.” It was simply impossible to handle the volume of mail received in any other way.
To many recipients of such a brief reply it must have seemed curt, cold, and disinterested. To those, of whom there were doubtless many, who are members of the Naval Institute or subscribers to the Proceedings, the lack of more specific information at the time may have had a cooling effect upon a newly kindled or relighted flame of patriotic desire to be of service. An article on this general subject may therefore serve a very useful purpose.
The writer was recently asked to answer widely varied questions concerning membership in the Naval Reserve at a congress of the Naval Order of the United States. The trend of those questions by a group composed almost entirely of World War officers of the naval service was enlightening and will be used as a basis for emphasis upon certain parts of the Naval Reserve. They stressed the desire for information as to their own status and prospects and also for general information upon which they themselves might base replies to questions put to them.
First, much is clarified if we have an understanding of the framework upon which the Naval Reserve is authorized and organized. The Naval Reserve Act of 1938 created and established the Naval Reserve as a component part of the United States Navy. The purpose of the Naval Reserve is to provide a force of qualified officers, nurses, and enlisted men who are available for immediate mobilization, and who, together with active and retired personnel of the regular Navy, can effectively meet the needs of the expanding Naval Establishment while an adequate flow of newly trained personnel is being established. It is composed of citizens of the United States and of the insular possessions of the United States, who by appointment or enlistment therein, or by transfer or assignment thereto, obligate themselves to serve in the Navy in time of war or during the existence of a national emergency declared by the President.
The size and general make-up of the Naval Reserve is thus clearly defined as that force of qualified individuals necessary to augment the active and retired personnel of the regular Navy to fill the total needs of the Naval Establishment on mobilization. The size and organization of the Reserve will therefore vary as the known and estimated needs for the whole establishment vary and as the numbers of active and retired navy personnel meet or fail to meet those needs.
With this portion of the picture clear it is well to note that the Naval Reserve is to be a force of qualified personnel obligated to serve in time of war or national emergency. Many former members of the service feel that they have certain qualifications of value to the Navy but have refrained from applying for membership in the Naval Reserve because they did not feel that they could afford to take time from their civilian occupations for training and because they were unwilling to make themselves subject to call in any event short of actual war. Many offers of services on these conditions have recently been received in the Navy Department. The point to get clear in this regard is that membership in the Naval Reserve carries with it an obligation to serve only in time of war or national emergency. All other duties are of a purely voluntary nature. In time of peace, training is highly desirable and is made available to the full extent that funds will permit. It is all voluntary except for those members of the Organized Reserve who receive the pay and allowances of their rank or rating during their training periods. In time of peace, also, separation from the Naval Reserve, except in the most unusual circumstance o pending disciplinary action, may be had or the asking discharge for enlisted men, acceptance of resignation for officers.
Knowledge of the basic setup makes more easily understood the replies to such more easily understood the replies to such oft-repeated questions as "Are there any openings in the Naval Reserve?" and "Do you mean to say you have no place for someone with such-and-such obvious qualifications?" Because of the changing picture it is quite probable that we will never have a naval reserve which, to the last individual, provides the properly shaped pegs in the necessary numbers to fill all of the many shaped holes in the mobilization slate. Therefore there almost certainly will always be "openings" and almost as certainly will always be certain types of holes completely filled with adequate pegs.
In order to provide best the pegs in appropriate number and general shape, certain requirements are set up as to eligibility for membership. First, the portion of the total picture to be filled by the Naval Reserve is periodically determined and promulgated in the form of quotas for various classes embodying the needed qualifications. These quotas and their state of fulfillment give us the numerical picture by classified groups. Next, within these classifications are set up certain requirements as to professional attainment indicating the possession of needed qualifications or, in some cases, promise of being able to acquire such qualifications by voluntary training where this is available.
It should be easily understandable that a small percentage of young untrained material is desirable in order that pegs of a shape determined by strictly and highly technical duties may be turned out by training. Certain physical qualifications, sufficient educational background, and the desire and ability to learn are basic requirements for such groups, as exemplified by our aviation cadets. For other groups, the qualifications for which have a close parallel in civil life, the applicant for membership in the Naval Reserve appears in the form of a peg with definite shape in line with the navy’s needs. Examples of the latter are doctors, dentists, lawyers, merchant marine personnel, nurses, aviators, mechanics, clergymen, engineers, designers, etc. The requirements for membership for these various classifications vary with the sort of duties expected to be performed by the individuals in filling their particular parts of the composite picture.
The Naval Reserve itself consists of:
The Fleet Reserve
The Organized Reserve
The Volunteer Reserve
The Merchant Marine Reserve
The Fleet Reserve is composed of officers and men transferred or assigned thereto after the completion of at least 4 years’ service in the regular Navy. In view of this restriction on membership and the availability of information to eligible candidates, no further mention of this group will be made in this article.
The purpose of the Organized Reserve is to provide a force of trained officers and men which, added to qualified personnel from other sources, will be adequate in numbers and composition to complete the war organization of the United States Fleet. The Organized Reserve consists of officers and men required to perform annual training and other duties and who shall be available for immediate mobilization. Officers are appointed from the following sources:
(A) Line officers.—Appointments in the rank of ensign except for those former officers of the regular Navy who may be appointed in such higher rank, not above lieutenant commander, as they may have held in the regular Navy.
- Graduates of the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps.
- Officers of the Naval Militia.
- Graduates of the Naval Academy and other ex-officers of the regular Navy whose resignations therefrom were accepted under honorable conditions.
- Probationary ensigns and enlisted men of the Reserve and others who qualify by physical and professional examinations.
(B) Aviation officers.—Under same restrictions as tor line officers above.
- Naval Reserve aviation cadets who are designated as naval aviators.
- Officers of Class A-V(N), U.S.N.R., upon release from active duty with the regular Navy.
- Ex-officers of the regular Navy designated as naval aviators whose resignations therefrom were accepted under honorable conditions.
(C) Medical officers.—Original appointment with rank of lieutenant (junior grade). Graduates of class "A" medical schools who are members of a state or local medical society in good standing and who hold certificates of license to practice medicine.
(D) Supply officers.—Under same restrictions as for line officers.
- Officers and enlisted men of the Naval Reserve who qualify by physical and professional examinations.
- Graduates of the Naval Academy or former officers of the Navy whose resignations therefrom have been accepted under honorable conditions.
Enlisted men are normally first enlisted in the rating of apprentice seaman but cognizance of training in allied civilian pursuits may form the basis for authority to enlist in a higher rating.
Since all members of the Organized Reserve are entitled to pay for the authorized periods of training performed and since the total number which can be so paid depends upon appropriations annually, an added eligibility requirement for this group is the existence of a vacancy in the organization concerned. Most organizations maintain a "waiting list" of qualified officers and men in the Volunteer Reserve who associate themselves for training purposes in a nonpay status. For this reason inductions into this group are primarily accomplished by transfer rather than initial appointment or enlistment.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR APPOINTMENT AS AVIATION CADET
Candidate must:
- Be a male citizen of the United States.
- Be not less than 20 years of age nor over 27 years at the time of appointment as aviation cadet.
- Agree to remain on active duty 4 years, including period of training at Pensacola, unless sooner released by the Navy Department. If applicant is a minor, written consent of parent or guardian is required.
- Be unmarried, must not previously have been married, and must remain unmarried until the expiration of 2 years from the date of entering upon active duty undergoing training at Pensacola, unless sooner released from such duty by the Navy Department.
- Agree to maintain flying efficiency so far as is practicable by associating himself with a naval aviation unit after completion of training and active duty.
- Be educationally, morally, physically, and psychologically qualified for appointment as aviation cadet, in accordance with prescribed standards.
EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Quotas to be trained will be filled from the following, and in the order of preference as listed:
- Graduates of Naval Reserve Officers’ Training Corps units, who have been certified by the Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department, as eligible for commission in the Naval Reserve.
- Those who have satisfactorily completed a course in aeronautical engineering at a recognized college or university.
- Other graduates of recognized colleges or universities.
- Candidates who present a certificate signed by the registrar of a recognized college or university, showing satisfactory completion of one-half or more of the necessary credits leading to a degree which normally requires 4 years of work, and who also possess a mathematical education, which, as a minimum, shall cover a complete treatise as set forth in Robinson’s New Higher Arithmetic, Wentworth’s College Algebra, Wentworth’s Plane and Solid Geometry, plane trigonometry as set forth in Wentworth’s New Plane and Spherical Trigonometry, and Milliken and Gales’ Practical Physics, or in other similar recognized standard textbooks of equivalent scope.
- Mature applicants who do not qualify under (a), (b), (c), or (d), but who have acquired substantially an equivalent education by other means; and whose experience, training, and aptitude for the service are sufficiently outstanding to render them particularly desirable.
The Navy Department does not conduct examinations to determine the educational qualifications of applicants for flight training in the Naval Reserve. Candidates are selected on the basis of their formal educational qualifications as evidenced by official transcripts of their high- school and college records.
ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION
Civilians and enlisted men of the Navy, Naval Reserve, Marine Corps, and Marine Corps Reserve, who meet the physical, moral, and educational requirements for selection, are eligible for consideration.
Individuals who have previously completed the flight-training course in the army or navy schools are not eligible for appointment as aviation cadets, except that this shall not preclude from consideration enlisted pilots or ex-enlisted pilots of the Navy or Marine Corps who may be otherwise qualified. Individuals who have failed the army flight-training course are not eligible for flight training in the Naval Reserve.
METHOD OF SELECTION
Applications are reviewed by Naval Reserve Flight Selection Boards appointed by the commandants of the naval districts throughout the United States. Candidates whose papers indicate reasonable probability of qualification under the instructions will be authorized to appear before the board for personal interviews and physical examinations. Final selection for the training is made by the Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department, from among those nominated by the commandants.
Civilian applicants must submit their applications complete with required documentary data to the commandant of the naval district in which they reside, and not to the Navy Department. Applications received directly in the Navy Department will in no case be acted upon, but will be returned to the sender for submission through the proper channels.
The eligibility requirements for Volunteer Reserve (General Service) officers are similar to those outlined for the Organized Reserve since, as noted, this group forms a pool of fully qualified individuals who are available as replacements to fill vacancies in the Organized Reserve as they occur. The same holds true for a large portion of the enlisted men in the Volunteer Reserve who comprise classes V-1 and V-2.
Local information concerning the Organized Reserve and that part of the Volunteer Reserve associated with it can be obtained through the appropriate commanding officer listed on the last few pages of the Navy Directory.
The group known as probationary ensigns in the Naval Reserve is small and has certain definite eligibility requirements. These are the possession of a degree from a recognized college or university, age between 21 and 26, physical qualifications, and the willingness to take a number of correspondence courses and pass professional and physical examinations for later reappointment in the grade of ensign in the appropriate Volunteer Reserve (General Service) classification. These appointments are limited to those seeking later commissions for deck, engineering, or supply corps duties.
Volunteer Reserve (Special Service) officers are, as the group title implies, appointed because of their special qualifications and for specific types of duties. Such, for example, is the small group known as “legal officers,” or officers of class L-V(S), U. S. Naval Reserve. The majority of the officers in this category are not expected to be utilized at sea and, in many cases, previous naval training is not a requirement although naturally it is always an asset. In the main, the attainment of prominence in civilian occupations which are in line with the duties they would perform on mobilization is the basis for appointment in this group. A definite requirement is the existence of a vacancy in a mobilization quota for which the individual is qualified. Thus, it is obvious that, there being relatively small need for legal officers to fill mobilization needs, the number of qualified applicants for this class will almost always exceed the number which can be appointed. The development of a real “specialist” takes time and it is expected that officers of the Volunteer Reserve (Special Service) classes will normally be older than those in corresponding ranks in, for example, the Organized Reserve. In this connection the age tables given on page 357 are of interest.
Since appointments may be made in any grade up to and including that of lieutenant commander, it is in the Volunteer Reserve (Special Service) classes that most readers of this article will be interested. Two facts of major importance and two which are probably least understood are therefore to be emphasized. First is the necessity for the existence of vacancy in quota. This is merely following the general breakdown of the war-time personnel needs of the Naval Establishment described at the outset of this article. As the Naval Reserve as a whole is expected to fill the remaining needs of the Naval Establishment, so the Volunteer Reserve (Special Service) officers are procured to fill the remaining needs of the Naval Reserve. In the former case we consider first the available personnel of the regular Navy and its retired personnel. In the latter we commence to fill in the picture with the Organized and Volunteer Reserve (General Service). Just as it is logical that, if we had sufficient personnel in the regular Navy and retired groups we would have no Reserve at all, so it is logical that a sufficient number of fully qualified reservists would leave need for the “Specialist” in very small numbers indeed. The second important fact to be considered in connection with this group is that the rank assigned on appointment must be appropriate to the duties of the mobilization assignment. For this reason the rank of lieutenant commander is reserved for those who have reached real prominence in their civilian occupation and whose mobilization assignment warrants that rank. This factor, naturally, governs promotion of officers in this group also, which is simple logic since any given vacancy can be filled either by promotion or by appointment direct from civil life.
It is frequently the absence of a vacancy in a mobilization quota warranting rank commensurate with the age and qualifications of an applicant that causes disapproval of an application and a resultant feeling of disgusted rebuff on the part of the applicant. This situation, and the necessity for it, are difficult to explain to the average civilian. Those who were themselves or saw others appointed in the Naval Reserve Force during the World War may find this hard to reconcile with their experience and knowledge. It is nothing more nor less than an honest and earnest endeavor to so shape and man the present Naval Reserve that it may efficiently carry out its mission as laid down by the Congress in the Naval Reserve Act of 1938 which created it. If this article helps to an understanding of that one fact alone, is has served a purpose.
The enlisted men of the classes of the Volunteer Reserve not previously mentioned are mainly in classes V-3 and V-6. The former is the group comprising communication personnel who, together with the officers in class C-V(S), make up the Naval Communication Reserve. This group drills in a voluntary status, principally by radio, and forms the major pool from which communication personnel would be drawn to fill mobilization needs ashore and, to a lesser extent, afloat. Communication experience is required for appointment and is recognized in initial rating on enlistment. Class V-6 is a large group of enlisted men of all ratings who, for one reason or another, are unable to attend regular training periods but have known qualifications. In this group are most of the hospital corps ratings.
The Merchant Marine Reserve comprises officers and men of the Merchant Marine. Enlistments are made only by the Commandant of the Third Naval District, New York, N. Y. Appointments are restricted to those licensed officers of the American Merchant Marine serving in a vessel of not less than 1,000 tons displacement documented under the laws of the United States, or in other public vessels thereof.
While more detailed information about the eligibility requirements for the various classes of the Naval Reserve can be found in the circular of information on this subject and is available from any Naval District Headquarters, certain portions are summarized here with the final injunction for all interested parties to contact the commandant of their naval district as listed below.
With the exception of Naval Reserve Nurses, only male citizens of the United States and of the insular possessions of the United States who have attained the age specified in the appropriate preceding tables, and who, by appointment or enlistment therein, or by transfer thereto, obligate themselves to serve in the Navy in time of war or national emergency, are eligible for membership in the Naval Reserve. No person who is drawing a pension, disability allowance, disability compensation, or retired pay from the government of the United States, is eligible. No member of any military organization, other than the Naval Militia, is eligible.
The physical standards for the Naval Reserve are the same as those prescribed for the regular Navy with due consideration for age-in-grade and the character of duties to be assigned in the event of war or national emergency.