Dear Ma and Pa,

Beware Beware

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Dear Ma and Pa,

I am well. Hope you are. Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer
the Army beats working for old man Minch by a mile. Tell them to join up
quick before all of the places are filled.

I was restless at first because you get to stay in bed till
nearly 6 a.m. But I 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 got 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 Walt and Elmer you can always sit
by the two city boys that live on coffee. Their food, plus yours,
holds you until 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 sergeant is like a school teacher. He nags a lot. The
Captain 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 head 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.

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 near 300
pounds dry.

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

Your loving daughter,

Alice
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