The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1941-12-25
THE PAPERS OF PRIVATE
PURKEY

IHE FATEhS oE INV A4G
PURKEY
Dear Ma
Well I have done a lot of kidding
and squawking in my letters but /
CESS that is all over now. After
what them double crossing Japs did
there is no longer no funny side to
this training and all want to do is
get a crack at them. ALI the boys
feel the same way. Up to the time
they heard about them Japs stab
bing Uncle Sam In the back under
flag of truce / CESS they all felt the
same as me that the war was too far
away to bother much and that this
army training was a pain in the
neck. But it woke us all up like
no bugle ever did.
I kind of felt that nobody wood
ever tackle this country on account
of we got two big oceans to depend
on and all that and I CESS never
sweated In manoover without say
ing to myself this is the bunk as
Hitler wood be crazy to get more
trouble on his hands. never thought
that Japan would be even crazier. I
hated the hikes, I hated the drills
and inspeckshuns and ! could not
battle new crop of corns without
burning up inside. But all Of sud-
den I feel different. Even my bum
ions seem patriotic now.
It's the same way all through my
outfit. Jeeps who have been squawk-
ing eight hours day look like they
become fighting men over night.
They know it is not all lot of fool
ishness no more and any boy In
camp will attack tank single hand
ed now if you just tell him there
is a Japanese doll inside.
As for me personally ma I got a
clear picture of what the country is
up against for the first time and /
wonder now that I did not get the
right slant long before this. CESS
it was just because I got snatched
so sudden from all the comforts of
civilun life that didn't see straight.
was soar over giving up box
spring mattress, a personal alarm
clock and the right to do what I
pleased. But Emperor Hotsy-Togo
or whatever you call him woke me
up like nobody's business. I am
so soar now that I am sorry I
ever applauded Japanese tightrope
walkers.
This war has all of sudden be-
come a great exciting show, ma.
It don't seem just like a optical al
fusion no more. All the tanks don't
seem like they was just few things
being demonstrated by a auto sales
man. My rifle witch has just seemed
something I wood like to have car
ried for me by a caddy has all of a
sudden become my BUDDYl It's
real and human. And my uniform
even when it is wet and wrinkled
now looks like the grandest uniform
anybody could ever climb into. What
has come over me don't know for
sure but I credit the Mikadoo with
an assist.
CESS you viii have to forget
about me being home for Christmas.
But know what kind of a mother
you are and I CESS you feel just
like do about what has happened.
have done lot of wise cracking
about being leased or lent but 1
don't care where they use me now,
so long as it is where / can take a
sock at the worlds worst enemies
of today, the double-talk nations
witch jab a knife In your kidney
while asking what you want for
Christmas.
Well, I must close now. Do not
worry. Everything will come out
all right with the old Stars and
Stripes on top.
Your loving son,
Oscar.
P. 81 serpose pop is trying to
get into the army again now. Tell
him to forget it and stay home and
look out for you as viii do enough
fighting for all three of us.
THOUGHT ON FOOD
It is the sad, unlucky fate
Of some to have diet;
Each time they hear a friends lost
weight
They ask him how, and try it.
And yet, however fond and fair
Their hopes at the beginning,
They almost always find that they're
More thinned against than thin
ming.
Richard Armour.
Remember back before social
security when people thought the
way to be sure of good living in
their old age was to raise a lot of