I
first saw this around eight years or so ago, I am thinking one of my sisters
sent it to me. My husband just found it again and I have to share (and not lose
it again).
Letter from a farm kid
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 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, and stuff, 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 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 is 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 schoolteacher. He nags some. 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 little metal 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.
He joined up the same time as me. But I'm only5'6" 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 Ann
1 comment:
That's pretty funny.
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