LETTER FROM A FARM KID, NOW AT SAN
DIEGO MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT.
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
maybe all of the places are filled.
I was restless at first because
they make you stay in bed till nearly 6 a.m., but 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 till 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 Capt. is like the school board.
Majors and colonels just ride around and frown. They don't
bother you none.
This next part will kill Walt
and Elmer from 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, cause 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
weighs 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