June 2, 1972
My full name is Benjamin Buford Blue, but ever' one just call me Bubba. After Forrest flunked out of college and is forced to quit the football team, I fel lonely after awhile, but sooner or later I was gonna have to get used to him not bein' round. Now I finally got some money fer buyin' me a srimpin' boat, but I was still far off by a couple a' bucks. Pretty soon after I graduate, I left that hellhole of a dorm hall an go back t' Bayou La Batre where my mama's cookin' me some good srimp.
I tell 'er I almos got 'nough money fo' a srimpin' boat and she jus tell me t' give it up, "Ya ain't gonna be a srimpin' captain an that's that." I didn't let 'er get t' me tho, fo' I was gonna be one hell of a srimpin captain, but my dream wadn't gonna las long.
A few days later, a letter came fo' me from th' army. It said that they was recruitin' some men to join th' army an they pick me. Of all people, they had t' pick me. Hot damn. When Mama read this she start bawlin' an' I get my skinny ass outta there.
Two days later, I pack up my shit and head out. Now, th' army, it's tough, all they do is yell at you and say a buncha shit like, "Drop an' gimme fifty," or somethin' like that. They assign me to some cabin an' lookin' at it depressed me 'specially when you look out them winders.
The drill sergeant call us an' we get our asses outta there an we line up an' stan straight fo' roll call. He was sayin' a buncha shit I didn't understand and he done ask us a buncha questions like, "Blue, what's your soul purpose in this army?" Now that was just a question I couldn't answer, so I made one up, "To do whatever you tell me drill sergeant." Now that was a lie, but I figgered it was better than nothin'. And he begin to start yellin' at me again, "Goddammit Blue, you a goddamn genius. That's th' best answer I ever got. I look forward to seeing you in this army." Now I is jus kissin' up t' 'im. I neva' meant any o' that shit I say, but it was th' only way to survive this army and with ever' question we all had t' say, "Yes, Drill Sergeant."
It was the toughest few weeks o' my life. They give me a whole buncha shit to do. I had to learn how t' assemble my weapons, they made me clean th' floors with jus a shitty toothbrush, I had t' wake up ever' mornin' to some anthem which was worse than a alarm clock, shoot, I even had to scrape the paint off'a th' bunkers.
A few weeks later, they send me to Vietnam to fight off a buncha gooks. So I pack up my shit an' get my skinny ass over there in a helicopter. It wadn't all bad there, at least we had some steaks on th' grill an some beer. Then I met my commandin' officer, he was a hefty young man named Lietenant Mitchell, I do what he tell me t' do.
After days of searchin' we didn't find no gooks. Then they say that they foun' a bucha gooks in th' jungle, so we go after them in our helicopters. We start bombin' th' place an we set the entire jungle on fire. Then who am I to meet in a distant chopa other than Forrest Gump? I wave t' him an' he wave back. We got outta there an' me an' Forrest reunite. Somethin' tell me that things are gonna get a lot betta fo' me and Forrest.
Love,
Bubba