Items 33a, b, c. Service in armed forces

252. Item 33. Entries required for each male 14 years old and over on sample line.-Check "Yes" or "No" for each of the three questions for every male 14 years of age and over on the sample lines. Service in the United States Armed Forces is defined as active duty for any time at all in the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or any reserve branch of these organizations. The specified periods of service are defined as follows:

253. Exclusions.-Be sure to exclude persons whose only service was in the Merchant Marine, or as civilian employees of the Department of National Defense (formerly War and Navy Departments), as employees of the Maritime Commission and American Field Service, or as civilian technical personnel attached to the armed forces) etc. Also exclude service m a National Guard unit which was performed before or after World War II. Exclude also short periods of active reserve training, such as active duty for 2 weeks a year or attendance at weekly reserve meetings.

254. Type of service included.-Note that this question concerns service for any time at all. Therefore, males who were inducted and discharged a few days or a few weeks later should be considered as having served in the armed forces. Be sure to include males who never had combat duty or never went overseas. Some persons received commissions but remained at desk jobs and perhaps were stationed in their home town for the duration of the war. Include these people as well as persons who were engaged in actual fighting.

255. Respondent uncertain.-Enter the information which is known even if the knowledge is not complete. For example, if the respondent knows that a man in the household served in World War II but does not know about any previous service, mark "Yes" for World War II. If the respondent knows that a man in the household is attending school under the "GI Bill of Rights," you can mark "Yes" for World War II.