"Dear Family" Letter
Files
Dublin Core
Title
"Dear Family" Letter
Subject
Hines, Joseph M. (1923-1969)
Toms Brook (Va)
World War (1939-1945)
Description
Letter from Joseph M. Hines, USMC, to his family in Toms Brook Virginia.
Creator
Joseph M. Hines
Source
Folder 1.6: Letters from Joseph Martin Hines USMC to Duval Hines and Mary Hines, August- December 1943, Joseph Hines Collection, Truban Archives, Shenandoah County Library, Edinburg, Virginia, USA.
Publisher
Shenandoah County Library
Date
October 18, 1943
Contributor
Susan Hines
Rights
Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial (CC-BY-NC)
Language
English
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Envelope:
Mrs. D.D. Hines
Toms Brook
Virginia
Mrs. D.D. Hines
Toms Brook
Virginia
Letter:
Dear Family,
Here it is Sunday but just a working day for me. We came off of maneuvers Tuesday and went on a 72 hr. leave Wed. I didn’t send a wire because I knew it would disappoint you if I sent a wire because you would think I was coming. Well they are still canceled. I think we will get them after amphibious training.
I’m getting along better since I got my stripe. I’m chief scout in charge of two men in my squad. They gave our platoon a new Louie and he was the best ever, but he was in an accident and had to have his arm amputated, so we got another today, a good guy (2nd Louie) by the name of “Reonalds” (spelled same as “Davis” Reonalds Ha).
Mother I know “Margie” is young and expect her to go out and if she don’t wait for me I’ll understand but up till now she is tops. I haven’t found anything out here to equal her. Maybe I’m growing up. I’m almost 20 you know.
I am beginning to feel proud of my outfit and myself. We made 30 miles in 9 hrs. carrying 60lbs and a rifle, and I’m bragging now, we only lost 30 men out of our Bn. And the third lost 200 in 10 1/2 hrs. Boy, were we dead.
Boy what a liberty we pitched. Joe and [I] met about 10 girls. Two of them, the best in the bunch, took us home and we had a nice dinner and a lot of fun buying and fixing it. Joe and I washed all the dishes. Joe (Joe Parrish) is sure some wolf and a swell guy. We usually swap girls every time for some reason. Both of these [girls] were named Helen so we just stayed as we were. We went back Sat. morning and passed notes under the door till they got dressed and let us in. It was fun but the neighbors thought we had gotten fresh with the girls and that they were trying to keep us out and [the neighbors] were going to call a cop. Boy did they let us in quick then. Some people always have one foot in the gutter. I have been going to church regular and had communion the 5th in the field. Well gotta go hit the sack.
Love,
Joe
PS each letter will contain a Marine Corps slang word and meaning.
Scuttle butt- rumor
Sack-bed
Doggie-soldier
More next time
Dear Family,
Here it is Sunday but just a working day for me. We came off of maneuvers Tuesday and went on a 72 hr. leave Wed. I didn’t send a wire because I knew it would disappoint you if I sent a wire because you would think I was coming. Well they are still canceled. I think we will get them after amphibious training.
I’m getting along better since I got my stripe. I’m chief scout in charge of two men in my squad. They gave our platoon a new Louie and he was the best ever, but he was in an accident and had to have his arm amputated, so we got another today, a good guy (2nd Louie) by the name of “Reonalds” (spelled same as “Davis” Reonalds Ha).
Mother I know “Margie” is young and expect her to go out and if she don’t wait for me I’ll understand but up till now she is tops. I haven’t found anything out here to equal her. Maybe I’m growing up. I’m almost 20 you know.
I am beginning to feel proud of my outfit and myself. We made 30 miles in 9 hrs. carrying 60lbs and a rifle, and I’m bragging now, we only lost 30 men out of our Bn. And the third lost 200 in 10 1/2 hrs. Boy, were we dead.
Boy what a liberty we pitched. Joe and [I] met about 10 girls. Two of them, the best in the bunch, took us home and we had a nice dinner and a lot of fun buying and fixing it. Joe and I washed all the dishes. Joe (Joe Parrish) is sure some wolf and a swell guy. We usually swap girls every time for some reason. Both of these [girls] were named Helen so we just stayed as we were. We went back Sat. morning and passed notes under the door till they got dressed and let us in. It was fun but the neighbors thought we had gotten fresh with the girls and that they were trying to keep us out and [the neighbors] were going to call a cop. Boy did they let us in quick then. Some people always have one foot in the gutter. I have been going to church regular and had communion the 5th in the field. Well gotta go hit the sack.
Love,
Joe
PS each letter will contain a Marine Corps slang word and meaning.
Scuttle butt- rumor
Sack-bed
Doggie-soldier
More next time
Original Format
Envelope and letter (2 pages)
Collection
Citation
Joseph M. Hines
, “"Dear Family" Letter,” Shenandoah County Library Archives, accessed April 20, 2024, https://archives.countylib.org/items/show/11622.
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