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United States Marine Corps

                                                  5-20-43
       Dear Bud,
             How is every thing? Well I've nothing to to do except shoot you the S.O.S. We study everything the Army has ever used, what the Marines are now using, and what the Navy is winning the war with. I guess that you didn't know that there were 5000 some odd casualties - Navy at Guadil [Battle of Guadalcanal, 7 Aug 1942 to 9 Feb 1943], while there were but 1000 some odd Marine casualties. The fighting Marines is made up of 2/3 Navy personell. We have to learn Army tactics of Field Medication and Navy medicine. When a beach-head is first

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United States Marine Corps

made, a coreman works 24 hours a day until battle is underway, then afterwards we just work 12 hours each day in the field & the rest of the day taking care of the wounded. When assigned to an infantry squad, we march all day, taking care of the wounded, when the Platoon stops we start to work helping the injured, and at night we set up with the sick, while those dambed marines sleep. We "when in the field," are responsible for the camps cleanliness, the sewer disposals & proper location of camp, and the proper steril places to eat. When setting a camp location we have 25 Marines

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to help you take care of the patients & setting up camp. What gripes me most is when I hear some say the "fighting Marines", those bastards have it easy besides what we do. We do the same things they do, including taking care of the poor bastards. If you ever want to fight, just do it at home, or join the Army. Those Navy C.B.'s are in it as good as we are. We study just about everything that can be put on paper, everything from camofladge to Japanese language. We went out into the field (8 mi) tues. & learnt how to rescue a patient when the japs were trying to shoot hell out of him. There is one thing that I do like though, they tell us if it's the

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patient in great danger of being hit, you just shield yourself with him, they figure that a priv. would be easier replaced than a coreman, there are usually 3 corpsmen to a Regt of 300. But they have Marines to carry stretchers to evacuate the patients. They really expect those japs to use more gass later on, we really study it. I guess you didn't know that the Germans used gass on the Russians, and that the japs has used it right around 300 times against the chinese. Well write soone & Shout Some.