OCR Text |
Show Navy Acts to Keep Unfit Men Ashore Overseas Drafts to Be Given Physical Examination. WASHINGTON. Many physically unfit men are being sent overseas for naval duty and the navy department says this must stop. The navy's bureau of medicine and surgery and the bureau of naval na-val personnel have sent a joint memorandum to all ships and stations sta-tions telling them what to do about the situation. "Numerous reports of receipt of men in the overseas areas who are not physically qualified to perform all their duties have been received by the bureau of navy personnel," said the memorandum, which went on: "In view of the transportation involved, in-volved, the unwarranted burden on medical facilities in advanced areas and the present, congestion of men awaiting medical or dental treatment treat-ment in those areas, it is extremely urgent that steps be taken to prevent pre-vent transferring such men overseas." over-seas." The memorandum reminded that the primary responsibility for the correction of physical defects was that of the commanders of the naval training centers at which recruits received their initial training. train-ing. But the final responsibility, it adds, belongs to whoever has control con-trol of personnel at the port of embarkation. em-barkation. "A careful physical examination of overseas drafts will be made at embarkation ports and the physically physical-ly unfit eliminated," the bureaus ordered. or-dered. The memorandum made it clear that it expected officers in charge of intermediate activities through which personnel pass between the two commands having primary and final responsibility to take steps to correct defects that may have been overlooked at an earlier command. "Men who have minor correctible defects other than of a communicable communica-ble or contagious nature,, and for which treatment has been instituted, institut-ed, may be considered fit for transfer trans-fer if the ship or station to which they are being transferred has proper prop-er facilities for their further care should it be necessary," the memorandum memo-randum said. |