Letter from boot camp

[Andrew (imported)]

A LETTER FROM A CHRISTMAS VALLEY, OREGON FARM KID,

NOW 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,

etc., but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, ham, steak, fried eggplant, pie

and other regular food. But tell Walt and Elmeryou 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 athome. 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 asbig 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,

Tammy Gail