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(NOW AT San Diego MARINE CORPS RECRUIT TRAINING)
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 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 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 stampedeing in.
Your loving daughter,
Alice
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