S.W.A.K..............................

Back in August of 1970, I was a freshly arrived young
recruit at Parris Island. Our DIs warned us to write
home to friends, family and loved ones to inform them
that when they wrote to us, only our official address and the
senders return address was to appear on the outside of
the envelope. Any additional lettering, such as SWAK,
would be paid for by the recruit at the rate of 50
bends and mothers per letter. Not wishing to suffer
such a fate, I dutifully informed everyone that I
wrote to of this requirement.

Approximately two or three weeks later, my name was
called during mail call and I ran to the DIs desk
and hit the position of attention. The DI, however,
did not thrust the letter towards me as was his normal
custom, but rather sat there staring at the envelope.
At this point, I noticed that the address was facing
me and he was staring at the back of the envelope. Slowly
his eyes raised to look at me, and in a voice dripping
with ice he said "You are in deep sh*t, boy!" A young
lady of my acquaintance had written me a letter, and
in spite of my warning to her, she had written on the
back of the envelope:

"USMC
Uncle Sam's Misguided Children
Let me know what your Drill Instructor has to say about this."

I spent a good part of my so called "free time" each night for the next
several weeks paying off 3950 bends and mothers. Needless to say, the young
lady's name was removed from my "to date" list.

Semper Fi,
Tom Justis
1970-1974