§ 40.1 Purpose.

Cadets are appointed in the Coast Guard for education and training to fit them to become commissioned officers in the Service. The Coast Guard Academy, located at New London, Connecticut, is maintained by the Government for the practical and theoretical training of young men to enable them to enter upon the duties of Ensign in the Coast Guard. Appointments are made solely through competitive examinations.

§ 40.2 Applications.

The Coast Guard is interested in receiving applications for cadetship from all young men who feel that they meet the requirements outlined in the regulations in this part. Any such young man who is sincerely interested in a Coast Guard career is encouraged to make application.

§ 40.3

General requirements for eligibility.

(a) A candidate must be a citizen of the United States and must have reached his seventeenth but not his twentysecond birthday on July 1 of the calendar year in which he is appointed a cadet. If the candidate has not reached his seventeenth birthday, or if he has reached his twenty-second birthday, on July 1 of the calendar year in which he seeks to be appointed a cadet, he will be ineligible for appointment. If under 21 years of age, he will be required to furnish the written consent of parent or guardian before admission to the Coast Guard Academy.

(b) He must satisfy the Commandant of the Coast Guard as to his good moral character and standing in the community.

(c) He must satisfy the Commandant of the Coast Guard that he has sufficient credits in prescribed subjects to justify his being designated for examination.

(d) He must be unmarried and have never been married. Any cadet who shall marry, or who shall be found to be married, or to have been married before his final graduation, shall be required to resign. Refusal to resign will result in dismissal.

(e) He must be physically sound and not less than 5 feet 4 inches nor more than 6 feet 6 inches in height, stripped.

(f) No person who has been dismissed or compelled to resign from the United States Military Academy, the United States Naval Academy, the United States

the

Air Force Academy, the United States Merchant Marine Academy, or United States Coast Guard Academy for improper conduct is eligible for appointment as a cadet in the Coast Guard. No person whose discharge from any branch of the military service was under conditions other than honorable is eligible for appointment as a cadet.

§ 40.4 Specific requirements for eligi. bility.

(a) No waivers of educational or physical requirements are granted to applicants.

(b) A candidate must be a graduate of an accredited high school or preparatory school or be in actual attendance in his senior year at an accredited preparatory school or high school, and have already completed three (3) years' work at such a school. A candidate indicating prospective graduation from a preparatory school or high school must, as a condition of admission, satisfactorily complete his course not later than June 30. With the exception of courses completed through the United States Armed Forces Institute, for which credit has been granted by an accredited school, correspondence schools do not meet the requirements for "Accredited Schools.” Certificates issued by correspondence schools will not be accepted. A total of 15 units obtained in high school, preparatory school, or college must be submitted.

Foreign Language (not less than 2 units credit

will be allowed in any language. This means the student must complete, successfully, a 2-year course in an accredited school).

(3) A total of not more than 2 units credit will be accepted from any or all of the following groups:

Agriculture.

Commercial Arithmetic. Commercial History.

Commercial Law.

Driver Education.

Drama.

Fine Arts.

Industrial Problems.

Journalism.

Manual Training.

Mechanical Drawing.

Music.

Occupations.

Public Speaking. Typing.

(4) While not required, it is strongly recommended that a candidate include Solid Geometry, Trigonometry, Physics, Chemistry, and a fourth year of English in his preparation.

In

(c) To satisfy the requirements of § 40.3 (c), a candidate must submit both high school and college credits. Because of the great variation in academic standards and credit requirements among schools, the Commandant reserves the right to evaluate each academic record submitted on its individual merits. general, college credits from an credited institution will be given the same weight as high school credits for the same amount of work, and in no case will one unit of college work be considered equivalent to more than one unit of high school work.

ac

The Commandant reserves the right to reject the certificate of any candidate whose assigned grades create doubt as to his ability to pursue successfully the course at the Coast Guard Academy. § 40.6 Definition of units.

The definition of a unit and of the ground covered by the designated subjects is as follows: A unit represents a year's study in any subject in a secondary school. A 4-year secondary school curriculum should be regarded as representing 16 units of work. This statement is designed to afford a standard of measurement for the work done in secondary schools. It takes the 4-year high school course as a basis, and assumes

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that the length of the school year is from 36 to 40 weeks, that a period is from 40 to 60 minutes in length, and that the study is pursued for 4 or 5 periods a week; but under ordinary circumstances a satisfactory year's work in any subject cannot be accomplished in less than 120 sixty-minute periods or their equivalent. Schools organized on any other than a 4-year basis can, nevertheless, estimate their work in terms of this unit.

§ 40.7 Physical requirements.

(a) All candidates for the Coast Guard Academy must meet the physical standards established in this section and in § 40.8 under the heading Physical Standards and Disqualifications.

(b) The physical standards outlined in the succeeding paragraphs in this section and in § 40.8, although not all inclusive, cover general physical requirements which are necessary for an effective career in the Coast Guard. Conditions which are noted as disqualifying and make the applicant unacceptable fall in categories which may endanger the health of other personnel, require repeated admission to the sick list, cause prolonged hospitalization and early retirement for physical disability, or preclude an active general service career.

(c) Two physical examinations are required:

(1) formal physical examination before appointment is tendered;

(2) physical re-examination at the time of reporting to the Academy.

(d) Applicants are encouraged to obtain a preliminary physical examination from a private physician prior to submission of application for cadetship. A preliminary physical examination serves to rule out, at this stage of the potential cadet's processing, those applicants who obviously will not meet the required physical standards for appointment. The private physician should be requested to review the physical requirements set forth in § 40.8 and upon completion of his examination advise the candidate whether or not in his opinion the candidate meets the physical requirements for appointment. Inaccuracy in ascertaining defects and determining the physical status of the candidate at the time of his preliminary physical results in unnecessary work for the Coast Guard and disappointment to the candidate when defects are found later at the time of the formal physical examination.

(e) Candidates and their parents and sponsors are urged to refrain from requesting waivers for medical defects. The Coast Guard bases its decision to disqualify a young man on medical facts revealed in a thorough medical examination. Candidates unable to satisfy the minimum requirements are not suited for commissions in the Regular Coast Guard, and consequently are not eligible for training at the Coast Guard Academy. A request for waiver for a medical defect invariably results in disappointment to all concerned.

(f) Prior to formal physical examination, all applicants are required to execute Standard Form 89, Report of Medical History, furnishing a true account of all injuries, illnesses, operations and treatments since birth and present same to the examining medical officer. False statements or willful omissions in executing Standard Form 89 may result in the separation of the candidate from the service on arrival at the Academy or later in his service career.

(g) Formal physical examinations prior to acceptance of candidates must be performed by a U.S. Public Health Service, Navy, Army, Air Force or Veterans Administration medical officer. All candidates are instructed where to report for such examinations. The results of this formal physical examination

must be reported on Standard Form 88, Report of Medical Examination.

(h) The medical officer, prior to the physical examination, will review the data furnished by the candidate on Standard Form 89 as to completeness of the medical history submitted and will then complete item 40, Standard Form 89, and sign same.

§ 40.8 Physical standards and disquali. fications.

(a) Physical proportions. The applicant's weight should be well distributed and in proportion to age, height, and skeletal structure. Medical examiners will recommend rejection of individuals who show poor physical development, who appear to be undesirable candidates because of excess fat, or show a definite tendency to obesity regardless of height and weight table ratio. The following Table 40.8 (al) and Table 40.8 (a2) are for growing youths and are for the guidance of medical officers in connection with the other data obtained at the examination, a consideration of all of which will determine the candidate's physical eligibility. The applicant's height should be measured in inches to the nearest 1⁄2 inch without shoes, and weight measured to the nearest pound without clothes.

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(b) The head, scalp, face and neck. The following conditions are causes for rejection:

(1) Tinea in any form.

(2) All benign tumors which are of sufficient size to interfere with the wearing of military headgear, or subject to chronic irritation.

(3) Imperfect ossification of the cranial bones or persistence of the anterior fontanelle.

(4) Extensive cicatrices, especially such adherent scars as show a tendency to break down and ulcerate.

(5) Depressed fractures or other depressions, or loss of bony substance of

the skull, unless the examiner is certain the defect is slight and will cause no future trouble.

(6) Deformities of the skull resulting in any unusual physical appearance or of any degree associated with evidence of disease of the brain, spinal cord, or peripheral nerves.

(7) Hernia of the brain.

(8) Unsightly deformities, such as large birthmarks, large hairy moles, extensive cicatrices, mutilations due to injuries or surgical operations, tumors, ulcerations, fistulae, atrophy of a part of the face, or lack of symmetrical development.

(9) Persistent neuralgia, tic douloureux, or paralysis of central nervous origin.

(10) Ununited fractures of the maxillary bones, deformities of either max

illary bone interfering with mastication or speech, extensive exostosis, necrosis, or osseous cysts.

(11) Chronic arthritis of the temporomandibular articulation, badly reduced or recurrent dislocations of this joint, or ankylosis, complete or partial.

(12) Malignancy or substantiated history thereof, unless successfully removed 5 or more years previously.

(13) Cervical adenitis of other than benign origin, including cancer, Hodgkin's disease, leukemia, tuberculosis, syphilis, etc.

(14) Adherent or disfiguring scars from disease, injuries or burns.

(15) Thyroid adenoma; exophthalmic goiter or thyroid enlargement interfering with breathing or with the wearing of clothing; exophthalmic goiter or thyroid enlargement from any cause associated with toxic symptons or which is disfiguring.

(16) Torticollis.

(17) Tracheal openings, thyroglossal or cervical fistulae.

(18) Restricted motility sufficient to limit the normal range of motion.

(19) Cervical rib when symptomatic; scalenus anticus syndrome.

(c) The nose and sinuses. The following conditions are causes for rejection:

(1) Loss of the nose, malformation, or deformities thereof that interfere with speech or breathing, or extensive ulcerations.

(2) Perforated nasal septum if considered causative of symptoms or local pathology, or likely to do so.

(3) Nasal obstruction due to septal deviation, hypertrophic rhinitis, or other causes, and particularly if sufficient to produce mouth breathing.

(4) Hay fever if more than mild or if likely to cause more than minimal loss of time from duty or if associated with nasal polyps or hyperplastic sinusitis.

(5) Atrophic rhinitis.

(6) Chronic sinusitis, if more than mild, and if not amendable to therapy.

(d) The mouth and throat. The following conditions are causes for rejection:

(1) Harelip, unless adequately repaired, loss of the whole or a large part of either lip, unsightly mutilation of the lips from wounds, burns, or disease.

(2) Malformation, partial loss, atrophy, or hypertrophy of the tongue, split or bifid tongue, or adhesions of the

tongue to the sides of the mouth, provided these conditions interfere with mastication, speech, or swallowing, or appear to be progressive.

(3) Malignant tumors of the tongue, or benign tumors that interfere with its function.

(4) Marked stomatitis, or ulcerations, or severe leukoplakia.

(5) Ranula if at all extensive, or salivary fistula.

(6) Perforation or extensive loss of substance or ulceration of the hard or soft palate, extensive adhesions of the soft palate to the pharynx, or paralysis of the soft palate.

(7) Malformations or deformities of the pharynx of sufficient degree to interfere with function.

(8) Postnasal adenoids interfering with respiration or associated with middle-ear disease.

(9) Marked enlargement of the tonsils or markedly diseased tonsils.

(10) Laryngitis if not amenable to therapy or recurrent.

(11) Paralysis of the vocal cords, or aphonia.

(e) The ears and hearing. The following conditions are causes for rejec

(1) The total loss of an external ear, marked hypertrophy or atrophy, or disfiguring deformity of the organ.

(2) Atresia of the external auditory canal, or tumors of this part.

(3) Acute or chronic suppurative otitis media, or chronic catarrhal otitis media. (4) Mastoiditis, acute or chronic. (5) Existing perforation of either membrana tympani.

(6) Deafness of one or both ears.

(7) Any diminution of auditory acuity in either ear, below 15/15 by whispered voice. If any question of diminuted auditory acuity arises on whispered voice test on audiometric determination should be made. Loss of hearing as determined by the audiometer must not be greater than 15 decibels in any of the frequencies 500, 1000, 2000 nor greater than 45 decibels in either of the frequencies 4000 or 5000. If hearing loss ascertained is not considered completely stabilized, candidate should be rejected.

(8) Any acute or chronic disease of the external, middle, or internal ear.

(f) Eyes and vision. (1) For appointment as a cadet in the Coast Guard a minimum uncorrected visual acuity of 20/30 each eye is acceptable provided that vision is correctible to 20/20 each

eye and that refraction by an ophthalmologist reports eye grounds free from disease with no indication of an accelerated progression toward further decreased visual acuity. Refraction is not required where the vision in each eye is 20/20 uncorrected, unless medically indicated.

(2) Disease of the eye grounds shall be cause for rejection.

(3) Contraction of visual field.

(4) Both eyes must be free from any disfiguring or incapacitating abnormality and from acute or chronic disease.

(5) Any cadet in the United States Coast Guard Academy whose vision has dropped below 20/100, correctible to 20/20 in each eye, for any significant period of time, shall be reported upon by a Board of Medical Survey.

(6) The requirement as given above is considered necessary in order to graduate cadets with vision sufficiently serviceable to enable them to carry out their duties at sea. During late adolescence it is quite common for developmental myopia to become manifest to such an extent that the resulting myopic visual defect is sufficient to disqualify the cadet. It is therefore imperative that a careful examination for visual acuity be performed.

(7) The following causes for rejection:

(i) Trachoma.

conditions are

(ii) Chronic conjunctivitis, or xerophthalmia.

(iii) Pterygium encroaching upon the

cornea.

(iv) Complete or extensive destruction of the eyelid, disfiguring cicatrices, adhesions of the lids to each other or to the eyeball.

(v) Inversion or eversion of the eyelids, or lagophthalmus.

(vi) Trichiasis, ptosis, blepharospasm, or chronic blepharitis.

(vii) Epiphora, corneal dystrophy, chronic dacryocystitis or lachrymal fistula.

(viii) Chronic keratitis, ulcers of the cornea, staphyloma, or corneal opacities encroaching on the pupillary area and reducing the acuity of vision below the standard and any corneal dystrophy.

(ix) Irregularities in the form of the iris, or anterior or posterior synechiae sufficient to reduce the visual acuity below the standard.

(x) Opacities of the lens or its capsule sufficient to reduce the acuity of vision below the standard, or progressive cataract of any degree.

(xi) Extensive coloboma of the choroid of iris, absence of pigment (albino), glaucoma, iritis, or history of recurrent iritis, extensive or progressive choroiditis of any degree.

(xii) Any retinopathy or detachment of the retina, neuroretinitis, optic neuritis, choreoretinopathy, or atrophy of the optic nerve.

(xiii) Loss or disorganization of either eye, or pronounced exophthalmos.

(xiv) Pronounced nystagmus, strabismus, or lack of continuous and complete third degree binocular fusion.

(xv) Diplopia, or night blindness. (xvi) Abnormal condition of the eye due to disease of the brain.

(xvii) Malignant tumors of the lids or eyeballs.

(xviii) Asthenopia.

(xix) Any organic disease of either eye.

(xx) Ocular foreign bodies.
(8) Color perception:

(i) Color blindness, complete or partial, is cause for rejection. Color perception will be tested by the color plate test as set forth in the American Optical Test Book, 1940 Edition, or the Farnsworth Lantern test. Candidates who fail to pass the American Optical Company pseudo-isochromatic plate test shall be considered qualified if they pass the Farnsworth Lantern test. The results obtained with the Farnsworth Lantern test shall be considered final in the resolution of all cases of questionable color perception.

(ii) Detailed instruction for the administration of the Farnsworth Lantern test, as well as the criteria for passing the test, are engraved on a metal plate which is permanently attached to the instrument and shall be followed without exception. The results of the test shall be recorded in item 64, Report of Medical Examination as "Passed FaLant" or "Failed FaLant."

(iii) Candidates who failed the American Optical Company pseudo-isochromatic plate test at places where the Farnsworth Lantern test is not available may be given a reexamination on the Farnsworth Lantern test at places where same is available. The cost of travel to and from the place of reexamination and subsistence must be borne by the applicant.