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LETTER FROM A FARM KID, NOW A PARIS ISLAND MARINE CORPS RECRUIT

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
got 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 til 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 country is
nice but awful flat 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,

Gail