Revised Armed Services Policies

Current data on Armed Services enlistment policies has been released by the Office of Student Placement. All students, regardless of whether they have had physicals for the draft, are now free to enlist and in most cases will be deferred until June. Undergraduates are urged, however, not to enlist in any program which does not insure deferment until graduation, since the draft law now pending may contain provision for deferment of all students. Seniors who wish to enlist now are advised to check whether or not the program of their choice provides for a postponement of induction until June.

A. ENLISTMENTS IN THE VARIOUS SERVICES

1. Air Force--Regular.

Single men 17-35 may enlist for 4, 5, or 6 years. Men with less than 2 years of college will have to wait for actual active duty for about 3 months. Men with 2 years or more of college will be taken immediately. Enlisted men go to Lackland Air Force Base near San Antonio, Texas for basic training of 6 to 10 weeks. They are then classified and send to a technical school for from 6 months to 1 1/2 years. Some individual choice is allowed, dependent on the needs of the service at the time.

2. Air Force--Reserve.

Single men, 17-35 may enlist for 4, 5, or 6 years. However, they must find on their own initiative a positive vacancy in a reserve unit.

These units train one week-end per month (Saturday and Sunday), and are subject to call to active duty at any time. However, those who enlist are free from draft.

3. Air--National Guard.

17-35 for 3 years. There are no openings at present, but applicants may go on a waiting list until a position vacancy occurs. Duty consists of 1 night a week twice a month and 1 full Sunday a month. Units are subject to call at any time. Those who enlist are free from draft.

4. Army--Regular.

Single men, 17-34 may enlist for 21 months, 3, 4, 5, or 6 years. Men with prior service may pick their own branch (except Adjutant General and Finance). Non-veterans may choose:

a. Regular Army unassigned.

b. Airborne.

c. Far Eastern Command.

d. Combat Arms (Armor, Artillery, Combat Engineers, Infantry, Signal Corps).

e. Army Security Agency and Intelligence (those with certain language abilitys and other qualifications).

5. Army--Reserve.

17 to 35 for three years. Openings are available in all 17 branches of the Army. Duty consists of weekly drills. Units are subject to call to active duty at any time. Those who enlist are free from draft.

6. Army--National Guard.

17 to 35 for three years. Openings are available in almost all branches of the Army. Units are subject to call at any time. Those who enlist are free from draft.

7. Coast Guard--Regular.

17 to 35 for three years. Training in New Jersey or California. Enlistments are temporarily closed until about March, but those interested may go on a waiting list.

8. Coast Guard--Reserve.

17 to 35 for three years. Duty consists of weekly drills with a Port Security Company in Boston. This unit is subject to call to active duty at any time. Those who enlist are free from draft.

9. Marine Corps--Regular.

17 to 29 for three or four years. Training at Parris Island, S. C. for 12 weeks. Assignment based on tests and interviews.

10. Marine Corps--Reserve.

17 to 29 for indefinite period. Same as Regulars. Those who enlist go on immediate active duty, but will revert to reserve status when unit is returned to inactive status.

11. Navy--Regular.

17 to 30 for four or six years. 10 to 12 weeks training at Newport, R. I., Great Lake Naval Training Station, Illinois or San Diego, California. No promises on ultimate assignment. Those who score in the 78th percentile on an Armed Forces Qualification Test may qualify for Electronics training or Aviation training. There is a waiting period on Navy enlistments during which time there is no draft deferment.

12. Navy--Reserve.

17 and up for two years. Duty consists of weekly meetings from 7 to 10 p.m. Mondays or Tuesdays, plus a two-week summer cruise. Units are subject to call to active duty at any time. Those who enlist are free from draft.

B. COMMISSIONS IN THE VARIOUS SERVICES.

1. Air Force--Regular.

a. United States Military Academy, West Point, New York.

b. Outstanding students in Aviation Cadet, Navigator Cadet, Administrative OCS, or Air ROTC.

c. Reserve officers on basis of performance of active duty.

2. Air Force--Reserve.

a. Aviation Cadet.

Single men, 20 to 26 1/2 with two years of college. Training for 13 months--service upon completion of training and commission--three years. The waiting period for appointment is about 4 months currently, but applicants are deferred from draft during this period.

b. Navigator Cadet.

Same as Aviation Cadet.

c. Administrative OCS.

20 to 26 1/2, married or single, with two years of college. Six months training and active duty for three years. There is a waiting period of from six to eight months for these appointments, and applicants are not deferred from draft during this time. Competition for these appointments is currently so stiff that only those who hold a college degree are being accepted.

d. Specialists.

For those who hold a bachelor's degree there are many opportunities for direct commission in the Air Force Reserve, depending upon the the type of training.

3. Air--National Guard.

Same as Air Force Reserve.

4. Army--Regular.

a. United States Military Academy, West Point, New York.

b. Outstanding ROTC students.

c. Reserve officers on basis of performance of active duty.

5. Army--Reserve.

a. Local openings are in the Armor, Field Artillery and Infantry only. Age: 21 to 27 years and 9 months. Must hold a college degree or have been in the first three enlisted grades for at least six months. Must have had one year of active service prior to June 30, 1947, M.B.A. holders may obtain commissions in Medical Service Corps without prior service, but will go on immediate active duty.

b. Enlisted men in the Reserves or National Guard may take correspondence courses and receive commissions. This takes approximately one year after enlistment.

c. OCS.

19 to 28 with high school diploma. Enlistment involves taking a 45 minute test. There is a one to four month waiting period during which time there is no draft deferment. Those who enlist take basic training for six to eight weeks, leadership school for six weeks, and then OCS at Fort Riley, Kansas for six months, commission. Service for two or three years.

6. Army--National Guard.

Same as Reserves.

7. Coast Guard--Reserve.

a. 21 to 26 with a college degree, including 12 semester hours (two full courses) in Mathematics, and six semester hours (one full course) in Physics.

b. OCS.

Plans are being made for a Coast Guard OCS for those enlisted in the Coast Guard.

8. Marine Corps--Regular.

a. United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland.

b. Outstanding NROTC students.

c. Outstanding graduates of Plateen Leaders Class.

9. Marine Corps--Reserve.

a. Platoon Leaders Class.

Open to Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors, who will not be over 25 by the time they receive their degree. Duty consists of two consecutive tours of duty of six weeks in the summer. Those who enroll are not free from draft.

b. Degree holders may apply for direct commissions to Marine Corps, Washington, D. C.

c. See Naval Aviation Cadet.

10. Navy--Regular.

a. United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland.

b. Outstanding NROTC students.

c. Outstanding Naval Aviation Cadets.

11. Navy--Reserve.

a. Naval Aviation Cadet.

18 to 27 with two years of college, unmarried. Training for 18 months plus about 30 months active duty.

b. General Line.

19 to 26. Degree holders with two full courses in mathematics and one full course in physics. Men in I-a or II-a are not eligible unless they plan to go on immediate active duty.

c. Electronics.

19 to 33. Degree holder in electrical, radio, communication engineering or physics (electronics or wave propagation). Those over 27 must have five years experience. Men in I-a or II-a are not eligible.

d. Petroleum Engineer.

19 to 37. Degree holder in petroleum or chemical engineering, or in geology. Men in I-a or II-a are not eligible.

e. Civil Engineering Corps.

19 to 33. Degree holder in any field of engineering (including ESAP). Men in I-a or II-a are not eligible.

f. Supply Corps.

19 to 27. Degree holder with six courses in economics, commerce or business administration or textile engineering. Men in I-a or II-a are not eligible, unless they want immediate active duty.

g. Chaplains Corps.

21-33. Degree holder plus three years of graduate theological work. Ordained minister with approval from his denomination.

h. Medical Service Corps.

21 to 32. Degree holder in the following fields: Bacteriology, Biochemistry, Biophysics, Chemistry, Sanitary Engineering, Physics, Physiology, Psychology, and Public Health.

i. The Reserve Officer Candidates (ROC) program will probably open shortly. This program consists of two and a half hours per week in Boston plus two six-week summer cruises. Applicants may join Navy Reserve units now and apply for ROC alter. This program is free from draft, but promises to be highly competitive