Post by jerryfmcompushaft on Feb 13, 2015 9:16:37 GMT -5
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 of the places
are filled.
I was restless at first
because you get to stay in bed till nearly 6
a.m. But I am getting so I like to sleep late.
Tell Walt and Elmer all you do before breakfast
is smooth your cot, and shine some things. 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 so bad, there's warm water. 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
two 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 "route
marches," which the platoon sergeant says
are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so, it's
not my place to tell him different. A "route
march" is about as
far as to our mailbox at home. Then the city guys get sore
feet and we all ride back in trucks.
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 medals for shooting. I don't know
why. The bulls-eye is near as big as a chipmunk head
and don't move, and
it 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
fighting
with that ole bull at 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
