Oct. 23, 1962 - The Pentagon halted discharges of all Navy and Marine Corps personnel today. Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara said at a news conference that, on authority of an Executive order issued by the White House, he had decided to bolster the Navy and Marine Corps in order to sustain the blockade of Cuba. Mr. McNamara said he did not know how long the “freeze” on Navy and Marine Corps discharges would last. Under the law, the men, with the exception of reservists, can be kept for up to one year. A Navy spokesman said Secretary McNamara’s orders would keep in service approximately 10,000 Navy men and officers a month and 2,400 Marine Corps officers and men a month.
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