📬 Letter From a Farm Kid Who Joined the Marines
Dear Ma and Pa,
I’m doing great! Hope you are too. Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer that the Marine Corps beats working for old man Minch by a mile. They better sign up quick before all the spots are taken!
At first, I was restless — you get to stay in bed till almost 5 a.m.! But I’m getting used to sleeping late. 😂
Tell Walt and Elmer that before breakfast, all you have to do is smooth your cot and shine a few things.
No hogs to slop, no feed to pitch, no mash to mix, no wood to split, no fires to light… practically nothing!
Men have to shave, but there’s warm water, so it’s no big deal.
Breakfast is heavy on things like fruit juice, cereal, bacon, and eggs… a little light on steak, pie, and fried eggplant, though.
Still, you can always sit next to the city boys who just drink coffee — their food plus yours will hold you till lunch! 😂
We go on “route marches,” which the sergeant says are to toughen us up.
Honestly, they’re about as far as walking to our mailbox at home.
Then the city boys get sore feet, and we all ride back in trucks. 🤣
The sergeant is like a schoolteacher — nags a lot.
The captain’s like the school board.
Majors and colonels just ride around in jeeps frowning at everybody. They don’t bother you none.
Now, here’s the part that’ll have Walt and Elmer rolling…
I keep winning medals for shooting! 🎯
I don’t know why — the bulls-eye’s about the size of a chipmunk’s head, it doesn’t move, and best of all… it ain’t shooting back like the Higgett boys used to do.
You just lie there comfortable and hit it. Heck, you don’t even have to load your own ammo — it comes in boxes!
We also have hand-to-hand combat training.
You get to wrestle with city boys.
I gotta be real careful though — they break easy.
It ain’t like tangling with the old bull at home!
I’m the best they got at it, except for Tug Jordan from over in Silver Lake.
I only beat him once… but Tug’s 6’8″ and 300 pounds dry, and I’m just 5’6″ and 130 pounds soaking wet! 😂
Tell Walt and Elmer to hurry up and enlist before all the good spots get taken!
Your loving daughter, 💌
😂 Didn’t see that ending coming, did you?!