English Original
A Letter Home
(Now at Camp Pendleton, San Diego, Marine Corps Recruit Training)
Dear Ma and Pa,
I am well. Hope you are too. Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer that the Marine Corps beats working for old man Minch by a mile. Tell them to join up quick before all the places are filled.
I was restless at first because you got 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's 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. Tell Walt and Elmer you can always sit by the two city boys that live on coffee. Their food plus yours holds you 'til 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 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 up before other fellers get onto this setup and come stampeding on in.
Your loving daughter,
Alice
中文翻译
家书
（现于圣地亚哥彭德尔顿营，海军陆战队新兵训练）
亲爱的爸妈：
我很好。希望你们也是。告诉沃尔特和埃尔默哥哥，在海军陆战队比给明奇老头干活强多了。告诉他们赶紧报名，不然名额就满了。
一开始我还不习惯，因为得在床上躺到快早上6点，但现在我开始喜欢睡懒觉了。告诉沃尔特和埃尔默，早餐前要做的就是把床铺弄平整，擦亮些东西。没有猪要喂，饲料要铲，饲料糊要拌，柴要劈，火要生……基本上啥都不用干。男人得刮胡子，但这也不赖……有热水。
早餐有很多配菜，像果汁、麦片、鸡蛋、培根之类的，但正餐像排骨、土豆、火腿、牛排、炸茄子、馅饼这些就少了点。告诉沃尔特和埃尔默，你总可以坐在那两个光喝咖啡的城市男孩旁边。他们的食物加上你的，能撑到中午再开饭。难怪这些城里男孩走不了多少路。
我们进行“行军拉练”，排长说是为了锻炼我们意志的长途步行。既然他这么认为，我也没必要反驳。一次“行军”大概就走到咱家信箱那么远。然后城里来的家伙们脚就疼了，我们就都坐卡车回来。
乡下风景不错，但太平坦了。中士像个学校老师，总爱唠叨。上尉像校董。少校和上校们就坐着车转悠，皱着眉头。他们根本不打扰你。
下面这事准能让沃尔特和埃尔默笑死。我射击老拿奖章。我都不知道为什么。靶心差不多有花栗鼠脑袋那么大，还不动，又不像家里的希格特家小子那样朝你开枪。你只需要舒舒服服地趴在那儿，打中它就行。你甚至都不用自己装子弹。子弹都是成盒来的。
然后我们还有他们所谓的“徒手格斗训练”。你得和那些城里男孩摔跤。不过我可得特别小心，他们太容易受伤了。这跟在家和那头老公牛打架可不一样。除了银湖那边来的塔格·乔丹，我在这项上差不多是最厉害的。我只赢过他一次。他和我同时入伍，但我只有5英尺6英寸高，130磅重，而他身高6英尺8英寸，体重快300磅了（净重）。
一定要告诉沃尔特和埃尔默抓紧报名，免得其他家伙发现这好事儿，都一窝蜂涌进来。
你们亲爱的女儿，
爱丽丝