FARM KID JOINS THE MARINES
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.
I was restless at first because you get to stay in bed
till nearly 6 a.m. But I am getting so I like to sleep late.
All you do before breakfast is smooth your cot and shine
some things. No hogs to slop, feed to pitch, wood to split,
or 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 cereal, eggs,
bacon, but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, steak, 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.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. We all ride back
in trucks.
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. 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
stampeding in.
Your loving daughter,
Alice
PAGES Editorial Service, Inc.
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.
I was restless at first because you get to stay in bed
till nearly 6 a.m. But I am getting so I like to sleep late.
All you do before breakfast is smooth your cot and shine
some things. No hogs to slop, feed to pitch, wood to split,
or 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 cereal, eggs,
bacon, but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, steak, 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.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. We all ride back
in trucks.
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. 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
stampeding in.
Your loving daughter,
Alice
PAGES Editorial Service, Inc.
