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.