Letter home from a farm kid newly arrived at Marine Corps training camp

Dear Ma and Pa:

I am well. Hope you are. Tell my brothers the Marine Corps shore beats working for old man Minch. They oughta join up quick before all the spots git filled. I was nervous at first 'cause they all sleep in till 6 AM, but I'm now I kinda like sleeping late. All I do before breakfast is smooth my cot and shine some stuff; no hogs to slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix, wood to split, or fire to lay. Men gotta shave ever' day but it ain't so bad 'cause they have special faucets where water comes out already warmed! Breakfast is strong on the trimmin's like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon, etc., but kinda weak on the chops, potatoes, ham, steak, fried eggplant, pie and other regular food. But tell brother Walt that I jes' sit by a couple o' city boys that live on coffee. So my food plus theirs'll hold ya till noontime when you they feed us again.

Our sergeant takes us on these marches which he says will harden us. Well, meybbe so, but we only go about as fer as to our mailbox. Then the city guys get sore feet and we all ride back in trucks.

This next'll kill brother Elmer: I don't know why, but they keep givin' me medals for shooting. Hell, their bulls-eye is near as big as a chipmunk head and don't even move, let alone shoot back like them Higgett boys! All you got to do is lay there all comfortable and squeeze the trigger. They even load my cartridges for me and put 'em in boxes. And then there's hand-to-hand combat where I get to wrestle with them city boys. But cha gotta be real careful though: them boys break easy! Shore ain't like fighting at home. I'm about the best they got.

Be sure you tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join up before ever'body finds out about this sweet deal and comes a'stampedin' in!

Your loving daughter,

Sally Mae