Ironically, I first heard it while waiting to board the plane at O'Hare to fly to Camp Pendleton for our two week summer camp.

Jeezus, the hills in that f*cking camp. Anyway, no civilian music until the weekend and then the flight home. Funny we actually carried our rifles onto the plane with the bolts stored in our sea bags safely tucked into the check-on luggage compartment. Pre plane hijacking era.

A lot of passengers looked at us sadly, probably thinking we were off to Vietnam to return not at all or return badly f*cked up

Quote:

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The Letter" is a song written by Wayne Carson that was first recorded by the American rock band the Box Tops in 1967. It was sung in a gruff blue-eyed soul style by Alex Chilton. The song was the group's first and biggest record chart hit, reaching number one in the United States and Canada. It was also an international success and reached the top ten in several other countries.

"The Letter" launched Chilton's career and inspired numerous cover versions. English rock and soul singer Joe Cocker's 1970 rendition became his first top ten single in the U.S.; several other artists have recorded versions of the song, which also reached the record charts.

Rolling Stone magazine included the Box Tops original at number 372 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time";[1] the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame added it to the list of the "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll".[2] In 2011, the single was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[3

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