Veterans of Fleet Service Included Among V-12 Unit

A little Saltier in their speech, a little quicker in their formations, and a little more at home in their whites, there are some V-men who can be spotted easily in their new Kirkland-E' lot House surroundings.

Few numerically, but outstanding because of past experiences, these are the men bought back from the fleet to continue their studies wherever they may have been dropped. Many of them have given up first class petty officer ratings, and $200 specialists' pay for the chance to hit the books again--hard."

Globe Trotters

The group is as evenly distributed as any College group, with home addresses which range from New York to New Mexico. But the listing of the places where they have spent recent months is a different type of reading, as foreign-sounding, names are the rule rather than the exception.

Before all "crows" or petty officers' sleeve markings, were removed it was possible to identify signalmen, radiomen, yeomen, and aircraft mechanics. Even after to her V-men are issued uniforms, some of this handful of older men will be distinguishable, for left blouse fronts will hear service and citation ribbons on dress occasions.

From the Bottom Up

Now that the first shock of re-entering the status of Apprentice Seaman has passed, these men who have learned the value of ratings and rank from fleet duty are headed for the Ensign's full stripe. Most of them hope to return to the same type of service from which they were drawn.

Typical of those who are now adding advanced studies to technical work learned in the Navy schools is one former Radioman First Class who has 20 months of Pacific submarine duty on his record.

Most puzzling factor to the veterans is the eagerness with which civilian clad V-mates are awaiting the first uniform issues: Anxious to get the feel of ordinary clothes again, they can only look on in wonder at bell-bottoms which have been purchased with personal funds.