farm kid at boot camp

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bigheavyq

Puritan Board Freshman
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 6AM 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.
Tell Walt and Elmer if they were here they would have to shave but it is not so
bad because 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 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 next door. 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 ol' bull at home. I'm about the best they got in
this unit 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,
Carol

[Edited on 5-10-2006 by bigheavyq]
 
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