From: J. Wiehe (j.wiehe@sympatico.ca)
Date: Fri Oct 24 2003 - 11:16:20 PDT
My cousin up in Alaska passed this on to me.
Jim Wiehe VA3JHW
j.wiehe@sympatico.ca
> LETTER FROM A FARM KID NOW AT THE MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT IN SAN
> DIEGO
>
> 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 by the 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,
>
> Petunia
>
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