Dear Ma and Pa,

 

I am well. I hope you are too. 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 the places are filled. I was restless at first because we get to stay in bed till nearly 6 a.m., but I am getting so I like to sleep late.

 

Tell Walt and Elmer that 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 is warm water. 

 

Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon and stuff, but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, ham, steak, and other regular food. But tell Walk 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 boys get sore feet and we all ride back in trucks. The country is nice, but awful flat.

 

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 easy. It ain’t like fighting with that old 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,

 

Gail

 

P.S. Speaking of shooting, enclosed is $200 towards a new barn roof and ma’s teeth. The city boys shoot craps, but not very good.