The letter took a hilarious turn when the author shared his unexpected marksmanship skills and won medals despite relatively easy target practice….
When their child enlisted in the Marine Corps, parents anxiously awaited a letter to find out how their child was doing. When they finally got one, it spread like wildfire. This is definitely a must-read!
The men have to shave but there is warm water so it’s not too bad. Tell Walt and Elmer that you can always sit next to two city boys who live on coffee. Breakfast is heavy on the trimmings like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon, etc., but a little weak on chops, potatoes, ham, steak, fried eggplant, pie, and other typical foods. You are sustained until noon, when you receive new nourishment, from their food and your own. It makes sense why these city boys can’t walk far.
Dear Mom and Dad.
I’m fine. Maybe yes. Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer that joining the Marine Corps is much better than working for Old Man Minch. You can stay in bed until almost 6 am, which made me uneasy at first, so ask them to check in now before all the spots are taken. But as I get older, I prefer to sleep late. Tell Walt and Elmer that all you’re going to do before breakfast is light a few things and make your bed. There are no pigs to smack, no feed to pitch, no porridge to stir, no wood to chop, no fire to start.
hardly at all.
The platoon sergeant adds that we go on “track marches” which are long walks to acclimatize. It’s not up to me to correct him if he thinks otherwise. The distance to our home box is about how far the “route march” is. Then the townspeople get sore feet and we all take the trucks home.
The sergeant resembles a teacher. He’s a big fighter. Similar to the school board, there is a captain.
Colonels and majors just ride and scowl. They don’t bother you at all.
Walt and Elmer will be killed by the next one while laughing. I continue to earn marksmanship medals. I have no idea why. The target is motionless and almost the size of a squirrel’s head; they don’t shoot at you like the Higgett guys back home. Just lie there comfortably and bang. Even worse, you don’t load your own cartridges. Comes in boxes.
Next, we will engage in hand-to-hand combat training. You can wrestle with the city youth. But since they are so fragile, I have to be quite careful. It’s not the same as domestic bullfighting. With the exception of that Tug Jordan from Silver Lake, I’m probably the best they could do at it. He only lost to me once. He joined the military at the same time as me, but I’m only 56″ and 130 pounds, while he’s 6’8″ and almost 300 pounds.
Tell Walt and Elmer to join in quickly before the other guys pick up on this arrangement and rush inside.
Every word of the letter exuded a mixture of resilience, camaraderie, and a hint of homesickness. He highlighted the unique experiences and challenges faced by those who chose this path and celebrated the bonds formed in the midst of it all. A true testament to the sacrifices and camaraderie of those in service, this heartfelt letter has become a valuable work, a glimpse into a world that creates strong individualities and even stronger connections.