'L' is for letter

I’ve heard many times that writing letters is becoming a lost art form thanks to e-mail and texting. Generally that observation has come from people born before the Carter administration, and, unfortunately for the U.S. Postal Service, I believe it’s true.

So it’s with that thought that we received two letters last week from Josh.

The first was a brief form letter that opened with this: “I have arrived at MCRD San Diego and have been placed in my training Platoon. I am fine and in good health.”

The second was a little more revealing in terms of what boot camp is like for Josh. “Life is crazy here,” he wrote. “Sometimes the yelling gets really annoying, because it goes on all day, but I think it builds our lungs so it is good. … Eating here is insane – it is very fast and it is kind of undescribable.”

From what I understand, the Marine Corps is the only branch of the U.S. military that limits the ways that recruits in boot camp can communicate with friends and family back home. No phone calls (except the first night and on rare occasions afterwards), no e-mail, no texting; just letters.

I can certainly see the value in that, because it’s another way of separating the recruits from their past lives so they can focus on their primary task during boot camp: accomplishing what they need to so they can become Marines.

Back in the day, Josh’s great-grandmother would regularly send multi-page letters – each line of the tablet-sized paper filled with information about family goings-on in Kansas. My mother would respond likewise with the latest from California.

And while I’ve made a large part of my living as a writer, I have not been one to write lengthy letters. Instead, I’ve preferred the instant response that’s possible through a phone call. Still do.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy sending and receiving letters. I have truly appreciated each correspondence from Josh, and I’ve never been as excited about receiving a form letter as I was last week.

There’s a lot to be said for e-mail and texting, but they’ll never match a letter. You really do get a lot for that 44-cent stamp.