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LETTER FROM A WEST VIRGINIA FARM KID, NOW AT PARIS ISLAND > 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, 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 between 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 >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 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, > Betty >
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