Chapter III · RECRUITING—APPLICANTS, REJECTIONS, ENLISTMENTS—ENLISTMENTS BY STATES.

The recruiting service of the corps was enlarged greatly during the war and it was so well organized and its method of procedure was so efficient that it was able to stand the enormous increase of the corps. The real test of any organization comes when a very great increase is suddenly made and the recruiting service of the Marine Corps passed that test in a commendable manner.

On August 8, 1918, by Executive order, volunteer enlistments in the Marine Corps and enrollments in the reserve were stopped, and from that time until October 1, 1918, no men were enlisted in the corps with the exception of those whose cases were pending when the Executive order above mentioned was issued and some whose enlistments expired and were reenlisted. On September 16, 1918, the Secretary of War approved the terms of a tentative plan proposed in an informal conference by representatives of the Navy Department, the Marine Corps, the General Staff, and the Provost Marshal General’s Office.

This plan in part provided that the Marine Corps was accorded the privilege of individual inductions to the amount of 5,000 men, for the months of October, November, and December, 1918, and January, 1919, and 1,500 thereafter.

As the plan above mentioned operated the men were supplied from the selective draft, but the choice was given the Marine Corps of accepting or rejecting men according to the way they measured up to the Marine Corps standards. The inductees also had a choice in the matter, so they were really “voluntary inductees.” This plan was very favorable and permitted the Marine Corps to maintain its high standard of enlisted personnel.

Owing to the cessation of hostilities there were but few inductions and none of the inductees ever reached France prior to the armistice becoming effective. Regular voluntary inductions into the Marine Corps (through Provost Marshal General) commenced October 1, 1918, and the last man was voluntarily inducted on December 13, 1918. Inductions occurred as follows:

October, 1918 2,787

November, 1918 3,880

December, 1918 421

Total 7,088

Owing to the signing of the armistice, no more requests were made to the Provost Marshal General for the induction of men after November 18, 1918.

On December 2, 1918, the President, by proclamation, directed that voluntary enlistments of registrants into the Navy and Marine Corps would be permitted without notice to local boards, and the provisions of the selective service law became inoperative so far as the Marine Corps was concerned.

On December 4, 1918, recruiting on a very limited scale was resumed by order of the Secretary of the Navy. On that date also, enrollments in the Marine Corps Reserve were stopped.

Applicants, rejections, enlistments, etc., regular Marine Corps, not including reserves but including inductees, April, 1917, to November, 1918.

Date. Applicants. Rejected by commanding officer.[1] Rejected by medical officer.[2] Eloped. Declined oath. Enlistments. Strength Marine Corps.

Apr. 1 .. .. .. .. .. .. 13,214

Apr. 30 14,607 41 11,673 10 19 2,864 15,813

May 31 15,498 74 10,039 40 50 5,295 20,932

June 30 15,905 47 11,735 16 34 4,073 24,772

July 31 11,778 21 8,183 22 44 3,508 27,045

Aug. 31 6,275 37 4,006 7 4 2,221 29,861

Sept. 30 4,846 29 3,996 5 5 811 30,322

Oct. 31 4,335 33 3,661 5 1 635 30,576

Nov. 30 5,577 14 4,942 2 2 617 30,855

Dec. 31 6,788 22 5,305 4 5 1,452 32,016

Jan. 31 5,472 29 3,981 5 3 1,454 33,184

Feb. 28 5,915 31 5,772 4 3 105 33,045

Mar. 31 5,037 18 4,734 2 4 279 33,093

Apr. 30 15,958 44 12,996 3 5 2,910 35,690

May 31 18,336 73 12,956 7 22 5,278 40,722

June 30 23,864 70 18,609 17 36 5,132 45,384

July 31 20,162 224 11,767 9 10 8,152 52,712

Aug. 31 17,286 115 11,528 5 40 5,598 57,628

Sept. 30 16,175 199 13,484 5 83 2,404 59,556

Oct. 31 12,176 2 8,923 .. 1 3,250 62,142

Nov. 30 13,284 2 9,129 .. 2 4,151 65,489

Total 239,274 1,125 177,419 168 373 60,189

ENLISTMENTS BY STATES.

The following table shows the number of men enlisted in the Marine Corps, not including reserves enrolled but including inductees, between April 1, 1917, and November 11, 1918. These figures do not include the 13,214 enlisted men already in the Marine Corps on April 6, 1917:

Alabama 313 Nevada 86

Arizona 210 New Jersey 1,251

Arkansas 290 New Hampshire 67

California 2,527 New Mexico 25

Colorado 1,262 New York 6,782

Connecticut 240 North Carolina 488

Delaware 72 North Dakota 225

District of Columbia 451 Ohio 4,968

Florida 110 Oklahoma 384

Georgia 674 Oregon 1,006

Illinois 4,959 Pennsylvania 4,365

Idaho 508 Rhode Island 64

Indiana 1,182 South Carolina 66

Iowa 607 South Dakota 145

Kansas 673 Tennessee 1,418

Kentucky 592 Texas 2,205

Louisiana 832 Utah 898

Maine 24 Vermont 21

Massachusetts 1,957 Virginia 617

Maryland 867 Washington 1,767

Michigan 2,115 West Virginia 598

Minnesota 2,581 Wisconsin 876

Missouri 3,721 Wyoming 92

Mississippi 297

Montana 1,205 Total 57,144

Nebraska 461

Statistics that will show the exact number of officers and enlisted men from each State are being prepared.