Subject: Fw: A Farm Kid Joins the Marines
> Dear
> Ma and Pa,
>
> I am well. Hope you are. Tell Brother
> Walt and Brother Elmer the Marine Corps beats working for old man Minch
> by a mile. Tell them to join up quick before all the placesget
> filledup.
>
>
> I was restless at first because you get to
> stay in bed till nearly 6 a.m. But I am getting used to sleeping late
> now. Tell Walt and Elmer all you do before breakfast is
> smoothyour
> bunk and shine some stuff. No hogs to slop, feed to pitch, mash to
> mix, wood to split, fire to lay. Practically nothing.
>
>
> Men got to shave but it is not that bad, becausethere's
> warm waterhere.
> Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon,
> etc., but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, ham, steak, fried eggplant,
> pie and other regular food, but tell Walt and Elmer you can always sit
> by the city boys that live on coffee. Their food, plus yours, holds you
> until noon when you get fed again. It's no wonder these city boys can't
> walk much.
>
> We go on "forced marches," which the
> platoon sergeant says isnecessary
> to harden us. If he thinks so, it's not my place to tell him
> different. A "forced march" is about asfar
> as to our mailbox at home. Then the city guys get sore feet and we all
> ride back in bigtrucks.
>
>
> The sergeant is like a school teacher. He
> nags a lot. The Captain is like the school board. Majors and
> colonels just ride around and frown. They don't bother you none.
>
>
> This next will kill Walt and Elmer with
> laughing. I keep getting awards for shooting. I don't
> know why. The bulls-eye is near as big as a chipmunk head and
> don't move, andit
> ain't shooting at you like the Higgett boys at home. All you got
> to do is lie there all comfortable and hit it. You don't even load
> your own cartridges. They come in boxes.
>
> Then we
> have what they call hand-to-hand combat training. You get to
> wrestle with them city boys. I have to be real careful though,
> they break real easy. It ain't like fightingwith
> them boys back home. I'm about the best they got in this except
> for that Tug Jordan from over in Silver Lake . I only beat him
> once. He joined up the same time as me, but I'm only 5'6" and 130 pounds
> and he's 6'8" and near 300 pounds dry.
>
> Be
> sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join before other fellers get
> onto this setup and come stampeding in.
>
> Your
> loving daughter,
>
> Alice