- Joined
- May 31, 2004
- Messages
- 356
- Points
- 53
Why recruiting from West Virginia is on the increase - a letter home
Dear Ma and Pa,
I am well, hope you are. Tell Brother Matt and Brother Brian the Marine Corps beats working for old man Wegman 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 6AM, but am getting so I like to sleep late. Tell Matt and Brian 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 get 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 Matt and Brian 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’s 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 a lot. The Capt. is like the school board. They don’t bother you none. This next one will kill Matt and Brian 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 it 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. I only beat him once. 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 Matt and Brian to hurry up and join before other fellers get onto this setup and come stampeding in.
Your loving daughter, Sarah
Dear Ma and Pa,
I am well, hope you are. Tell Brother Matt and Brother Brian the Marine Corps beats working for old man Wegman 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 6AM, but am getting so I like to sleep late. Tell Matt and Brian 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 get 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 Matt and Brian 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’s 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 a lot. The Capt. is like the school board. They don’t bother you none. This next one will kill Matt and Brian 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 it 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. I only beat him once. 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 Matt and Brian to hurry up and join before other fellers get onto this setup and come stampeding in.
Your loving daughter, Sarah
