On the Bluffton Today blog, posters are debating whether males or females are better at sports. Not being a sports fan, I don't know. But I thought it was time to post this letter that circulated some years ago:

LETTER FROM A FARM KID, NOW AT SAN DIEGO MARINE CORPS RECRUIT
Dear Ma and Pa,
I am well. Hope you are. Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer the Marine
Corps 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 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 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 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 before other fellers get
onto this setup and come stampeding in.

Your loving daughter,
Mamie Sue