America at war! (1941– ) (Part 1)

Physical disabilities –
Many previously rejected now acceptable, Army says

Men with defective eyesight may be assigned to non-combatant duty or limited service

Men with defective eyesight may be assigned to non-combatant duty as well as to limited service under current Army regulations.

The difference is principally in the type of unit to which the man may be assigned. Those qualified only for limited service are attached to non-fighting branches of the Army. Those acceptable as non-combatants may be assigned to a fighting unit although they themselves will not be given combat duty.

Men with at least 20% of normal vision (20-100), correctable with glasses to 50% of normal (20-40) are taken for unlimited general service.

Those with eyesight ratings of 20-100 to 20-200 (10-20% of normal) in each eye, correctable to 20-40 (50% of normal) in each eye, are qualified for non-combatant duty.

Blind accepted

Those with ratings of at least 20-400 (5% of normal) in each eye, correctable to 20-40 in ONE eye may be taken for limited service. If the man is blind in one eye, he is still acceptable for limited service. If the man is blind in one eye, he is still acceptable for limited service if his other eye rates better than 20-200 and is correctable to 20-40.

Former 1-B men with hernias are to be shifted to 4-F. Those with heart ailments will be placed in 4-F also unless they are fit for full military duty. The Army says it will not accept a man with a heart ailment unless its medical examiners, who have sole discretion in each case, determine he’s capable of performing any type of service.

Following are a list of other 1-B men who are now acceptable for limited service:

Those with 25-50% of normal hearing (5-20 to 10-20) in one or both ears.

Those deaf in one ear provided the other retains at least 50% of normal hearing (10-20).

Men with complete plates (those with at least two molars on each side of the lower jaw are acceptable for full service).

Men who have lost a thumb in either hand.

Fingers lost

Men who have lost three fingers on either hand – providing the thumb remains.

Those with webbed fingers or toes and hammer toes.

Men who have lost a big toe.

Men with moderate arm or leg deformities which haven’t prevented them in following a useful civilian vocation.

Men with spinal curvature between two and three inches from the normal “midline.”

Those suffering from “knock ankle.”

Men with flat feet, once a leading reason for rejection, are now acceptable for full military service.

What sort of Christmas gifts could be sent to overseas servicemen?

USO survey shows the men prefer cigarettes, waterproof wrist watches, windproof cigarette lighters, stationery, pen-and-pencil sets, service wallets, regulation shirts and small portable radios.

My brother is in the Army. We have no parents and when he was drafted, the government sent me a card but my address was wrong. (1) Where could I write to correct it? (2) Does receipt of the card mean he has named me an insurance beneficiary? (3) Can he name me beneficiary?

(1) To the agency from which it came. (2) Not unless the card says so. (3) Yes.

My son, 20, received his questionnaire. He is taking a course in airplane mechanics and has seven more months left. Could he get a deferment?

That’s up to the draft board.

Where can I get a copy of the Selective Service Act with new revisions such as elimination of Class 1-B?

A copy of the act may be purchased at a nominal fee from the U.S. Government Publishing Office, Washington, DC. Selective Service regulations may also be obtained there. However, many of the more detailed interpretations are contained in mimeographed memoranda mailed only to agencies of Selective Service and these aren’t available at any particular place.

What is meant by the classifications 1-A, 1-B, 2-A, 2-B, 3-A and 3-B?

Class 1-A, those who are available for immediate service of any kind; 1-B, those with minor ailments (this class is now being closed through reclassifications into 1-A or 4-F); 2-A, key workers in war-supporting activities; 2-B, key war workers; 3-A, men with bona fide dependency status; 3-B, men with 3-A status plus jobs in war or war-supporting industry.

Is it true that only three sons in any one family are drafted?

There’s no limit on the number of members of any particular family who can be drafted.

This is the case of two sons and a widowed mother. The older son, a plant guard, was sworn into the Army recently through his job. The mother is dependent upon him. Now both sons have been classed 1-A. Isn’t there some mistake? Couldn’t one claim dependency?

The Army says plant guards were recently given some sort of oath by someone but they were not sworn into service. They are still liable for the draft. Either son can claim the mother as a dependent if he actually supports her and can prove it. Every man has a 10-day right of appeal.

Are detectives, policemen and deputy sheriffs to be drafted because the city and county will pay half of their salaries to their dependents?

They are not exempt because of their jobs and can be drafted on the same basis as any other citizen. Draft boards will consider the half-salary payments as well as other income available to the dependents whenever reclassification is undertaken.

My husband was inducted in August and left me with furniture which was paid up to that time. I’m not working and can’t keep up payments. Can my furniture be taken?

Yes, unless it was contracted for before Oct. 17, 1940.

Is it a criminal offense for a civilian to wear Army insignia as a symbol of pride for a serviceman?

The Army says it isn’t a criminal offense, but is trying to discourage wearing of such insignia by civilians.

Is a man maintaining a bona fide family relationship if, after being classified 3-A, he leaves his wife and child at home to take a job in another town but continues to support them?

We have no precedent on which to base an answer. Our readers will be promptly informed of a ruling on a case of this sort whenever it is handed down.

U.S. dependency payments –
Secondary dependents are eligible for allowances

Working wives can receive automatic payments, while parents, brothers and sisters must prove dependency; other questions answered

Wives of servicemen are eligible for government allowances even if they work and regardless of any other income which they may be receiving.

The Servicemen’s Dependency Allowance Act provides automatic monthly payments to lawful wives and unmarried children under 17 of men in the four lowest ranks of each branch of service.

These payments are mandatory and a serviceman who is covered by the act cannot refuse to contribute toward an allowance for such persons.

On the other hand, secondary dependents – parents, brothers, sisters, etc. – are not eligible for the allowances unless they can prove substantial dependency upon the serviceman. Furthermore, the man himself must agree to send the allowance home.

Wife gets $50

A wife gets $50 a month; the first child, $12, and every other child, $10. If there is no wife, the first child gets $42; the others, $10 each.

A dependent parent receives $37; a second dependent parent, $10; additional dependent brothers or sisters, $5 each. If there are no dependent parents, a dependent brother or sister may get $27 with $5 for each additional one.

Where there is both a wife and a dependent parent, the parent gets only $20. A second dependent parent gets $10 more.

A wife who has not been legally separated from her husband may receive the automatic $50 a month even though he may not have been supporting her at the time he entered service. His children would also get the regular allowances.

Divorced wife

A divorced wife cannot collect any allowances unless she holds a court order and has not remarried. In such event, she may get a maximum of $42 a month.

However, this $42 may be decreased by the government if the man himself has married again or if he has other dependents. In such cases, the government decides how much the divorce is to get – regardless of the size of her court order.

The Allowance & Allotment Branch at Washington, requests that all questions on specific cases involving divorced wives be mailed to it for a proper ruling.

Where to write

Application blanks for allowances should be filed by the serviceman of at all possible. They may, however, be filed by the civilian. Forms may be obtained at the following places upon written request:

FOR DEPENDENTS OF ARMY MEN: Allowance & Allotment Branch, Bldg. Y, 20th and B Sts., NE, Washington, DC.

FOR DEPENDENTS OF NAVY MEN: Bureau of Naval Personnel, Navy Department, Washington, DC.

FOR DEPENDENTS OF MARINE CORPS MEN: Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps, Washington, DC.

FOR DEPENDENTS OF COAST GUARD MEN: Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, Washington, DC.

Aid in filling them out may be obtained at any Red Cross headquarters.

Q&A:

My son, a carpenter’s mate in the Naval Reserve, is at sea. Is it possible he may return to the U.S. and be transferred to other duties?

Yes, if the Navy should feel his services are needed more elsewhere.

What has happened to 2-A and 2-B men since we hear only that 3-As will be reclassified when 1-A and 1-B lists are exhausted?

Men in 2-A and 2-B receive maximum six-month deferments at a time and are subject to reclassification at any time. Those in 3-A hold indefinite deferments which are terminated only in case of a change in dependency status or exhaustion of otherwise “available” regulations. Men in key jobs are not regarded as “available.”

My husband was called up with the National Guard in April 1941. Will he be sent overseas or kept here until married men with dependents are called?

He’s subject to assignment anywhere at any time.

A friend of mine was recently transferred from overseas to the U.S. for hospitalization because of stomach ulcers. Will he be discharged?

He may if medical officers in charge of his case deem it necessary.

Is an incomplete hernia acceptable now by the Army?

That would be a borderline case that would have to be decided by the examiners.

I was discharged because of disability in 1932. Would I be accepted for the Army now as a volunteer?

Yes, if your condition has improved to such an extent, you could meet current requirements. Consult the recruiting station officers.

Is a man with high blood pressure acceptable for the Army?

No.

Will any branch of service accept a man with syphilis?

The Army now will, through the draft.

I was classed 1-B because of severe acne and insufficient teeth. Am I acceptable now?

Your teeth are no bar, but you won’t be accepted unless your acne condition has improved perceptibly.

I would like to enlist. I have one perfect eye but am blind in the other. Can I get into any service branch?

You may volunteer through your draft board for limited Army service.

My husband has five or six teeth missing and says he is to be drafted. Is this true?

He can be taken if the Army doctors determine he still has sufficient good teeth left.

Lost!

Draft lists not open to women seeking their husbands

Wives looking for long-lost husbands – in order to get allowances from them if they have entered service – are out of luck.

So far as the government is concerned, there is no lost-and-found agency for such persons. Furthermore, National Selective Service headquarters says its draft lists are not available, either, for such purposes.

Persons who have lost contact with relatives in the service may track them down through the nearest Red Cross chapter, provided they can supply the man’s full name and his last-known station.

Relatives of men overseas may obtain the correct mailing address from the Adjutant General. Was Department, Washington, DC, but the man’s station will not be disclosed for military reasons.

Similar service is presumably accorded by the Bureau of Naval Personnel, Navy Department, Washington, DC; Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps, Washington, DC, and Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, Washington, DC, for its own men.

Insurance –
War insurance not mandatory for soldiers

No policies are issued; beneficiaries are not revealed

Certificates acknowledging a serviceman’s insurance are mailed to his beneficiary only on the man’s own request.

The Veterans’ Administration explains that no actual policies are ever issued but that an official certificate is mailed to the serviceman or to his beneficiary, if so specified.

Because of the thousands of applications for insurance which are being received daily, however, issuance of these certificates in many cases has been delayed for long periods and the government asks that beneficiaries who haven’t received the certificates remain patient.

The Veterans Administration points out that insurance will be paid in event of death even if the beneficiary doesn’t hold a certificate.

Not disclosed

To wives and mothers who may be wrangling over who has been named beneficiary, the Veterans Administration has only one sentence of advice:

Information as to identity of a beneficiary is not disclosed to anyone without the consent of the serviceman.

In other words, don’t write to Washington to find out who has been named the beneficiary, the man himself is the only one privileged to tell you.

Incidentally, the Veterans Administration says there are no longer any automatic insurance benefits to survivors of men killed in action. A $5,000 automatic death benefit is payable only to next-of-kin of men who died in line of duty between Oct. 8, 1940, and April 19, 1942, inclusive, in cases where they had failed to take out any insurance.

The automatic death benefit is paid to the widow of the man. If she isn’t living, the victim’s children will receive the $5,000 in equal shares. If the man had no wife or children, the automatic benefit will be paid to his mother or father, but only if they can prove they were substantially dependent upon the son. Sisters or brothers cannot qualify.

A ‘gratuity given’

If the serviceman had taken out insurance in excess of $5,000 no additional benefit will be paid. If he had insurance under $5,000, the government will extend an automatic

Survivors of men killed in action since April 20 receive only six months’ pay as a “gratuity” from the government.

Other questions received on the subject of government insurance:

Is there a clause in the insurance policy of a soldier preventing his wife from being the beneficiary if she married him after induction?

No. A serviceman may change his beneficiary at any time and a lawful wife qualifies regardless of when marriage occurred.

My son told me I would get a policy of the insurance he took out. So far, I haven’t received it. Where can I inquire about this? ANL.

You may write the Veterans Administration, Washington, DC, giving the serviceman’s full name and particulars. However, the government asks that you please refrain from writing. If you have been named beneficiary, you are protected even though you have no record of the insurance.

Does a draftee have to take out insurance?

No. It’s optional.

I’m separated from my draftee-husband. If something should happen to him, would I get any insurance even though he didn’t name me beneficiary?

No.

Whom can a man name as beneficiary?

Wife, parent, legal guardian, child, brother or sister.

I have reached 45 since registering for the draft. Am I liable for military service? Limited or general?

You’re liable for any kind of military service.

My fiancé is 20 and registered for the draft. He must support his mother and four brothers and sisters. We would like to marry but are told he couldn’t claim the others as dependents if he did so. Is this true?

No. But the board certainly may question his ability to support so many people at such a young age. Proof of dependency rests on the man’s shoulders.

I was formerly a ward of the state and was married last April. My husband, then 19, registered in June. He has been contributing to the support of his father and younger brother for three years. (1) Was his selection considered imminent when we married? (2) Which of us can he claim as dependents?

(1) Yes. (2) Father and brother – provided he can show they actually need his support.

I had my pre-marriage blood test taken Sept. 13, 1940, and married Sept. 25, 1940. Would this be proof enough that my selection wasn’t imminent at time of marriage?

There’s no set answer to a question of this sort. You must convince your draft board or the appeals board.

We have been married four years and were expecting a child for late September. Will 3-A men who were married after Sept. 16, 1940, be liable for service before those married prior to that date?

Men who married after Sept. 16, 1940, are not classed 3-A unless it is determined they were married when their selection wasn’t imminent; therefore, they will receive the same treatment as men married before the draft.

U.S. reported seeking Pope’s post-war view

New Allied declaration due after Taylor trip, Swiss hear
By Paul Ghali

Stamp senders warned

Washington – (Oct. 3)
The Office of Censorship has announced that persons wishing to send postage stamps, cancelled or uncancelled, or any other philatelic material outside the United States will be required after Oct. 15 to obtain a special permit unless the mail is addressed to a member of the Armed Forces.

The Pittsburgh Press (October 5, 1942)

Congress faces biggest fight on drafting of labor

Bill predicted by McNutt would provide for single manpower chief controlling military service calls as well as industry’s needs
By Ben Williamson, Scripps-Howard staff writer

Big bombers hammer Japs in Aleutians

Drive to oust enemy from islands believed underway

Roosevelt will make war fund broadcast

Washington (UP) –
President Roosevelt opens the nation’s war chest and community chest campaign throughout the country tonight with a short radio statement.

All Pittsburgh stations will broadcast the address at 10:30 p.m.

Mr. Roosevelt will be preceded on the air by the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Eugene Ormandy.

It was understood that the President’s statement would be a recorded one. In the past, his statements on such programs have been recorded during the day and used on the network programs later in the evening.

Tokyo reports battle

New York –
The British radio quoted the Tokyo radio today as reporting that a naval engagement is in progress in the Solomon Islands area. The report gave no details of the battle.

London reported earlier that the Vichy radio had carried a similar report, also without details.

Butter, cheese price cuts due

Officials act swiftly under anti-inflation law

Loss of submarine in Pacific revealed

Stalin urges second front

Calls on Allies to fulfill obligations on time
By William B. Dickinson, United Press staff writer

Curb travel, Eastman asks

Says passenger rationing nearer ‘than we think’

Sweet music, news, comedy are soldier’s preference

Radio survey shows average soldier tunes out ‘soap operas,’ classical music

U.S. sacrifice for foreigners called unlikely

Post-war pledges opposed, editors believe

Steinhardt back in U.S.

Miami, Florida –
Laurence A. Steinhardt, United States Ambassador to Turkey, today was en route to Washington where he will report to President Roosevelt. He arrived by plane yesterday after a 10-day trip across Africa and the Atlantic.

Missionary charges Japs debauch Korea

Latin economy hit, Rockefeller asserts

Youths 18 and 19 urged to join Army