Andrew Leigh
Chief Petty Officer
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2003
- Messages
- 431
Dear Ma and Pa <br /><br />I am well. Hope you are. Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer the Marine <br />Corps beats working for old man Minch by a mile. Tell them to join up quick <br />before maybe all of the places are filled. I was restless at first because <br />you got to stay in bed till nearly 6 a.m., but am getting so I like to <br />sleep late. <br /><br />Tell Walt and Elmer all you do before breakfast is smooth your cot and <br />shine some things. No hogs to slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix, wood to <br />split, fire to lay. Practically nothing. Men got to shave but it is not so <br />bad, there's warm water. Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice, <br />cereal, eggs, bacon, etc., but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, ham, steak, <br />fried eggplant, pie and other regular food. But tell Walt and Elmer you can <br />always sit by the two city boys that live on coffee. Their food plus yours <br />holds you till noon when you get fed again. It's no wonder these city boys <br />can't walk much. We go on "route" marches, which the Platoon Sergeant says <br />are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so, it is not my place to tell <br />him different. A "route march" is about as far as to our mailbox at home. <br />Then the city guys get sore feet and we all ride back in trucks. <br /><br />The country is nice, but awful flat. The Sergeant is like a schoolteacher. <br />He nags some. The Captain is like the school board. Majors and Colonels <br />just ride around and frown. They don't bother you none. This next will kill <br />Walt and Elmer with laughing. <br /><br />I keep getting medals for shooting. I don't know why. The bulls-eye is near <br />as big as a chipmunk head and don't move. And it ain't shooting at you, <br />like the Higgett boys at home. All you got to do is lie there all <br />comfortable and hit it. You don't even load your own cartridges. They come <br />in boxes. Then we have what they call hand-to-hand combat training. You get <br />to wrestle with them city boys. I have to be real careful though, they <br />break real easy. It ain't like fighting with that ole bull at home. I'm <br />about the best they got in this except for that Tug Jordan from over in <br />Silver Lake. He joined up the same time as me. But I'm only 5'6" and 130 <br />pounds and he's 6'8" and weighs near 300 pounds dry. <br /><br />Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join before other fellers get <br />onto this setup and come stampeding in.<br />><br />><br />><br />><br />><br />><br />><br />><br />><br />><br />><br />><br /><br />Your loving daughter, <br /><br />Gail
