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Dear Ma and Pa,


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 gots to shave but it is not
so bad, as they get warm water.

Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, 
bacon, etc. but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, black eyed peas, grits, 
fried eggplant, pie and other regular food. But tell Walt and Elmer you 
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 at home. Then the 
city guys gets sore feet and we all ride back in trucks. The country is
nice, but awful flat. The Sergeant is like a schoolteacher. He nags 
something awful.

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 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.

Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join before other fellers 
get into this setup and come stampeding in.


Your loving daughter,

Gail


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