We were required to write home every week and every Monday morning we turned in our letters at formation before marching over to the classrooms on the other side of campus. Can you imagine how different our ENMS experience would have been with all the modern communication technology that is available today -- email, texting, cell phones, etc? Then, the only communication with my family was letters to one another and maybe a phone call once a week on pass. On weekends when I'd take brother Steve out on a Sunday pass with me, we'd go find a pay phone booth across the street and I'd use a dime from my allowance money to place a collect call home to our parents. Since both parents worked, we took a chance on connecting up with them. However, often at least one parent was home. Mom saved most of the letters we wrote home and here are two of mine, warts and all, from a couple of months after we went to ENMS. I typed them out below. Note that some of the dysfunctional family dynamics are displayed by me in the second letter.
1st letter -- (about a month after arriving at ENMS)
Dear Mom and Dad
Well what have you been doing? Ive ben doing fine so far Im going to have close to a C or a B avrege at least I hope so tell me if Jody [playmate from down the street at home in Las Vegas] is goin to come down. steve is anxious to have somebody to play with My Teachers are nice I like them I am avreageing a B grade in geography sofar how is Miss Clark [best teacher I ever had 4th and 6th grade in Las Vegas.] Butch [cadet Wayne S whom I attended 5th and 6th grades with at JT McWilliams Elementary School in Las Vegas.] is doing fine all these kids got a Lot oF "intellgience" one of these boy are typing like a pro. this week Iam going to fire my rifel tell Janet Hi!
Love you Both
Gary
"PS
Hate to Tell You This But, someone swiped my ink pen.
I'm sorry !
2nd letter --(about two weeks later)
Dear Mom & Dad
[page 1]
Well how are you both? Guess what dad Butch is all excited about his dad getting a dear he's really proud. I sure hope you get one this time I sure wish I could go with you guys. Don't let Gary [big sister Janet's boyfriend whom she eventually married and had a child with and then divorced a year later -- one of four marriages so far she has experienced] scare the deer "ha ha"! Now you will find out how much trouble he is. is Janet going two, she is, "ha ha oboy" ! I sure wish you would have come up with grandma & Momey. Steve was disapionted that you would not come up! "so was I" steve got a little upset. Mother steve learned the ten commandments and passed two! he was so much better after that.Me and steve are going out on the all day pass With Kelly [cadet Kelly H is the son of Dad's deer hunting buddy and Kelly eventually went AWOL and never returned to ENMS the next year.] He is not campused. Guess what on the demerit list I got 15 demerits and 6 merits and got a B. That is pretty good. hu.
[page 2]
I sure hope Janet is not getting married June. If she is ILL BUST HER BRITCHES and I mean it do you want me to tell you our dially plan for the week. ok. well first we get up in the morning and get our cloes on and then we comb our hair and get ready to eat after we eat we go up to where we live "thats in the large dorm" and clean up the place. then we go two school and my first subject is Math and then we have science and then we have Geography. after those three peeriods are up, we go in to mr. Mischaud class and have English Reading
[page 3]
After we are done with thos subjects we go eat lunch and after we get through with lunch we have 15 minutes to goofe off on, " go to slepp" then the Bugle blows and we go to school again and have spelling after we get done with spelling we go back to formation. and then we have free time we get to swim sometimes and do anything we want to do then the bugle blows and we take our showers. After we are done with are showers we put on our Kackies and get ready for dinner after we are done with dinner we have about 20 minuts to play. and the bugle blows again we get ready for study hall and after that we go to bed! And thats are daily plain. Well got to go because the "bugle blew"
Ha Ha Love you Gary
1st letter -- (about a month after arriving at ENMS)
Dear Mom and Dad
Well what have you been doing? Ive ben doing fine so far Im going to have close to a C or a B avrege at least I hope so tell me if Jody [playmate from down the street at home in Las Vegas] is goin to come down. steve is anxious to have somebody to play with My Teachers are nice I like them I am avreageing a B grade in geography sofar how is Miss Clark [best teacher I ever had 4th and 6th grade in Las Vegas.] Butch [cadet Wayne S whom I attended 5th and 6th grades with at JT McWilliams Elementary School in Las Vegas.] is doing fine all these kids got a Lot oF "intellgience" one of these boy are typing like a pro. this week Iam going to fire my rifel tell Janet Hi!
Love you Both
Gary
"PS
Hate to Tell You This But, someone swiped my ink pen.
I'm sorry !
2nd letter --(about two weeks later)
Dear Mom & Dad
[page 1]
Well how are you both? Guess what dad Butch is all excited about his dad getting a dear he's really proud. I sure hope you get one this time I sure wish I could go with you guys. Don't let Gary [big sister Janet's boyfriend whom she eventually married and had a child with and then divorced a year later -- one of four marriages so far she has experienced] scare the deer "ha ha"! Now you will find out how much trouble he is. is Janet going two, she is, "ha ha oboy" ! I sure wish you would have come up with grandma & Momey. Steve was disapionted that you would not come up! "so was I" steve got a little upset. Mother steve learned the ten commandments and passed two! he was so much better after that.Me and steve are going out on the all day pass With Kelly [cadet Kelly H is the son of Dad's deer hunting buddy and Kelly eventually went AWOL and never returned to ENMS the next year.] He is not campused. Guess what on the demerit list I got 15 demerits and 6 merits and got a B. That is pretty good. hu.
[page 2]
I sure hope Janet is not getting married June. If she is ILL BUST HER BRITCHES and I mean it do you want me to tell you our dially plan for the week. ok. well first we get up in the morning and get our cloes on and then we comb our hair and get ready to eat after we eat we go up to where we live "thats in the large dorm" and clean up the place. then we go two school and my first subject is Math and then we have science and then we have Geography. after those three peeriods are up, we go in to mr. Mischaud class and have English Reading
[page 3]
After we are done with thos subjects we go eat lunch and after we get through with lunch we have 15 minutes to goofe off on, " go to slepp" then the Bugle blows and we go to school again and have spelling after we get done with spelling we go back to formation. and then we have free time we get to swim sometimes and do anything we want to do then the bugle blows and we take our showers. After we are done with are showers we put on our Kackies and get ready for dinner after we are done with dinner we have about 20 minuts to play. and the bugle blows again we get ready for study hall and after that we go to bed! And thats are daily plain. Well got to go because the "bugle blew"
Ha Ha Love you Gary
1 comment:
Thank you for sharing. Awesome.
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