Show ph iller THE PAPERS OF PRIVATE PItI VATE PURKEY dear ma I 1 am inclosing osine a clipping witch has gave me ie the biggest lift since I 1 was dratted drafted it is from camp stewart down in georgia and it says that a colonel named ralph tobin of the C coast 0 a s t artillery came out against potato pealing in the army he said he think a soldier should ever wash a dish neither as both take time that could be used in learning how to fight well this man tobin is my choice for top general in the TJ S A if this clipping gets read much he will be the hero of the army in no time this inis colonel says the german army used a separate organization of kitchen workers to peel and wash dishes and ma that is the key to the way them nazis fight I 1 gess with a guaranty that they wont never never have to do no work as kitchen canaries no wonder there morale is so good he gave a hint that the american army wood organize a trained division of kitchen help soon and I 1 hope he is right it wood improve the spirit of the whole army and me so much that you wood never no we was the same fellows I 1 do not no if there is anything except talk behind this idea but I 1 wish you would mention it in your prayers every night as I 1 am sure the army wood be in better shape to win a war if it could get potatoes dishes cooking and general housework off its mind I 1 also wish ma that the army wood organize a division of street cleaners and bath room attendants two on account of that is no work for a soldier neither it is awful hard for me to feel like a per cent fighting man when I 1 am walking up and down a camp spearing old papers and picking up general rubbish and I 1 certainly do not feel like no important cog in the arsenal of the democrats when I 1 am in a scrub bucket brigade in the mens room 0 0 they call this fatigue duty in the army and the man who first thought up this name for it had a great sense of word values it fatigues me to even think of army housework I 1 do not get half so tired on an all day hike as I 1 do just thinking of peeling another barrel of or washing dishes 0 4 if I 1 was not a private I 1 wood write aletter a letter to colonel tobin saying he is the first smart general the army ever had and that I 1 was for him for president secretary of war and the hero of the next sergeant york picture but it might g get et me into trouble like most of my letters do I 1 wish you and pop wood write him and get all the neighbors to do it believe me it has puzzled me how the hennies could take all those Maggi enot lines and forts so quick but the hole secret is out they could concentrate on it instead of on potato peeling 0 0 0 well this will half to be all for now now lots of love oscar PS could you find out the address of myrtle atwood for me |