Direct procurement: qualifications; retention or transfer to Reserve

§ 6909. Direct procurement: qualifications; retention or transfer to Reserve (a) Appointments to the active list of the Navy in the grade of ensign in the line, the Supply Corps, the Civil Engineer Corps, and the Medical Service Corps and to the active list of the Marine Corps in the grade of second lieutenant may be made from male citizens who are under 25 years of age on June 30 of the calendar year in which appointed and who— (1) have satisfactorily completed a four-year course at an accredited college or university; or (2) are enlisted members of the Regular Navy or the Regular Marine Corps who demonstrate in a test that they have attained an educational level equivalent to that of a person who has satisfactorily completed a four-year course at an accredited college or university. (b) The date of rank of officers appointed under this section in any year is the date of graduation of midshipmen from the Naval Academy m that year. Selection for appointment in a staff corps under this section shall be made by a board of commissioned officers in the staff corps concerned. (c) When any officer appointed under this section has at least two years of satisfactory service as a commissioned officer, he may, on his application, have his appointment on the active list of the Navy or the active list of the Marine Corps terminated and may be appointed in the Naval Reserve or the Marine Corps Reserve, as appropriate, in the same grade and with the same date of rank that he had as a regular officer. In the discretion of the Secretary of the Navy, such a reserve officer may be released from active duty. (d) During the second quarter of each calendar year, the Secretary shall examine the record of each officer on the active list of the Navy or on the active list of the Marine Corps appointed under this section who— (1) in that year will have the third anniversary of the acceptance of his appointment; and (2) applies for retention as a permanent officer before that anniversary, but not later than March 31 of that year. (e) From among the officers whose records are so examined the Secretary shall select for retention as many as he considers necessary. The appointment of each officer not selected shall be terminated before July 1 of the calendar year of the third anniversary of the acceptance of his appointment, or not later than that anniversary if it occurs after June 30. 426 (f) The appointment of each officer on the active list of the Navy or on the active list of the Marine Corps appointed under this section who does not apply for retention under this section shall be terminated not later than the third anniversary of the acceptance of his appointment. (g) Upon the termination of his appointment under subsection (e) or (f), a person may be appointed a lieutenant (junior grade) in the line or in a staff corps of the Naval Reserve or a first lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserve, as appropriate, with a date of rank three years after the date of rank of his original commission.