teeroy
Life Member
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 you got to stay in bed till nearly
6a.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 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 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.
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 you got to stay in bed till nearly
6a.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 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 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.
