Dear Ma and Pa:

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 maybe all the places are filled.

I was restless at first because you got to stay in bed till nearly 5
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 got to shave,
but it ain't bad, they git warm water. Breakfast is strong on
trimmings like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon, etc., but kinda weak
on chops, potatoes, beef, ham, steak, fried eggplant, pie, and
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 aint no wonder these city boys can't walk much. We go on "route
marches," which, the Sgt. 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 all get
sore feet and we ride back in trucks. The country is nice, but awful
flat.

The Sgt. is like a schoolteacher. He nags some. The  Capt. is like
the school board. Colonels and Generals just ride around and frown.
They don't bother none.

This next will kill Walt and Elmer with laughing. I  keep gettin
medals for shootin. I don't know why. The bull's-eye is near as big
as a   chipmunk and don't move. And it ain't shooting back, like the
Higgett boys at home. All you got to do is lay 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 up  before other
fellows get onto this setup and come stampeding in.

Yore lovin daughter,

Gail