TRANSCRIBED FROM THE NEWPORT DAILY INDEPENDENT AUGUST 19, 1918 P. 2
Dear Mr. Billingsley:
I am sending you a $50 bond for you to sell for me. Send change to me at once, keeping pay for trouble. Sell it as soon as possible, as I will be leaving Paris Island very soon.
Ready money is very scarce with me now. I don’t get but $30 per month, and I send Mrs. Gray $15 of that. This leaves me $15 to pay for $14,000 insurance, so you see I have no money left to buy smokes and drinks.
Now I am sure you would like to know something about the marines. I’ll say they are the best trained troops I’ve ever seen. We drill before daybreak until dark every day except Saturday and Sunday. We have lots of eats to strengthen our fighting qualities, and also have Swedish drills that develop every muscle. We have swimming in the Atlantic and numerous games and boxing, moving pictures, open-air pictures—all good and interesting. I’m the only Arkansas boy among 12,000 men. In fact, I’m the only member of the U.S. Marines from the mountain section of North Arkansas. We walk 120 steps per minute. We jump, with a rifle in hand and 25 pound pack on back, over the top of something like eight feet. We swim sixty yards, we hit the bull’s eye from 200 to 400 yards, averaging 201 hits out of 300 shots. We climb a rope with our hands 20 feet high. Boxing teaches us to dodge the German bayonets and thus get him first. Our churches have their respective representatives, and too, we have one camp pastor for all.
Now if you are anybody who wants a career and desires to see the world send him to the marines. He will have to obey orders, keep clean and keep everything straight in quarters, live a life that prevents the spread of disease.
Please have this letter published in the Independent and send me a copy.
Your to oblige,
Private Jess A. Gray,
Co. 278 Y. Bat. U. S. M. C.
Paris Island, S.C.
NOTES:
TRANSCRIBED BY KAREN PITTMAN
Dear Mr. Billingsley:
I am sending you a $50 bond for you to sell for me. Send change to me at once, keeping pay for trouble. Sell it as soon as possible, as I will be leaving Paris Island very soon.
Ready money is very scarce with me now. I don’t get but $30 per month, and I send Mrs. Gray $15 of that. This leaves me $15 to pay for $14,000 insurance, so you see I have no money left to buy smokes and drinks.
Now I am sure you would like to know something about the marines. I’ll say they are the best trained troops I’ve ever seen. We drill before daybreak until dark every day except Saturday and Sunday. We have lots of eats to strengthen our fighting qualities, and also have Swedish drills that develop every muscle. We have swimming in the Atlantic and numerous games and boxing, moving pictures, open-air pictures—all good and interesting. I’m the only Arkansas boy among 12,000 men. In fact, I’m the only member of the U.S. Marines from the mountain section of North Arkansas. We walk 120 steps per minute. We jump, with a rifle in hand and 25 pound pack on back, over the top of something like eight feet. We swim sixty yards, we hit the bull’s eye from 200 to 400 yards, averaging 201 hits out of 300 shots. We climb a rope with our hands 20 feet high. Boxing teaches us to dodge the German bayonets and thus get him first. Our churches have their respective representatives, and too, we have one camp pastor for all.
Now if you are anybody who wants a career and desires to see the world send him to the marines. He will have to obey orders, keep clean and keep everything straight in quarters, live a life that prevents the spread of disease.
Please have this letter published in the Independent and send me a copy.
Your to oblige,
Private Jess A. Gray,
Co. 278 Y. Bat. U. S. M. C.
Paris Island, S.C.
NOTES:
TRANSCRIBED BY KAREN PITTMAN