January 29, 1943
Friday
Camp White, Oregon
Dear Aunty Clara:
Last night I was so dead tired and so miserably sick that I got to bed at 9:30 and the only thing that prevented me from hitting the hay sooner was the fact that I had to clean out the rifle I had been using and that took some time. I think I am developing a peachereeno of a cold and all because of getting fatigued and going out on that lousy rifle range. It had appeared for a spell there that my routine life in the office was going to be uninterrupted by colds: then this business had to come along.
As for the range----when record day came along which was yesterday (Thursday) I shot over my head scoring 21 of 25 sitting, 20 of 25 kneeling and 40 of 50 standing (all slow fire) and 35 of 50 kneeling and 40 of 50 sitting (rapid fire) for a total score of 156 which qualified me as a marksman. In fact going into the rapid fire it looked as if I had the sharpshooter class cinched. The rifle was working o.k. for me and since record day was rather warm I enjoyed it more than any of the previous days.
When I used to fire a rifle at the poolroom above Bata's shoe store, my left eye, which was closed, would hurt like the bloody blazes. Somehow that eye never bothered me while I was out on the range but all this evening it has been acting up something terrible. I just can't keep it open without it tearing and hurting.
We went to the dispensary this evening for another Tetanus shot and sort of forgot about going back to the barracks. lst Sgt Driscoll got on his high horse and began gigging the fellows who had not returned left and right. Even sergeants and corporals were getting gigged. I was sent for here in headquarters but when I arrived in the orderly room I acted very innocent and we began to talk about some items of work etc and I prolonged the conversation on that line and before you knew it he had forgotten that I was to be gigged and was the only man to walk off (back to Headquarters) scot free. I may yet hear of it. Who knows.
I have some complaining to do about the way Harvey messed things up a bit and about the way things have been running but I will save that because it isn't very pleasant to have that perpetual complaint going.
I had meant to answer your letters tonight but I see that once more I am running short of time so I will have to hold up again.
I am intending to wrap my things up and send them home this weekend. I think I will send home my blouse and a set of O.D.s since they are being called in. It will be fun to have a full uniform at home after the war is over and I am a veteran. That is if I return home. With the four pair of summer khaki which we now have, we will not be having much use for our winter clothes. I would like to send home a field jacket but I do not think that there is much chance of that. Boy, they are honeys as you have seen by the photographs.
Speaking of photographs, I finally got the ones I turned in at the PX quite some time back. I enclose one set now.
Here are the individuals pictured:
(1) Tony Piplak, the fellow who slept in the neighboring bunk when I lived on the first floor. The only outdoor view.
(2) The office showing the row of company clerk desks. F company is the nearest and mine is the farthest away.
(3) Picture of Sgt (T-4) Johnson, the mail clerk in his mail room. My desk is right on the other side of the partition.
(4) Sgt. Johnson seated at Lt. Warner's desk. This, like the other two are put up jobs and are to be shown to the people back home as a laugh.
(5) The same desk with a fat boy behind it --- Cpl Walston of Company F. Note that the sign has now changed from Message Center to Clerk Co F.
(6) The same man in his proper place. Clerk Co. F.
(7) Cpl Klick (Pvt Klick when picture was taken) seated at Warner's desk with Clerk Co A sign as a prop.
(8) Cpl Klick at his real desk. Boy o boy that shirt was really wrinkled, eh? Do you see that little top drawer with the hole? That is where I put the watch and could see it from where I sat.
I took some pictures this afternoon and will take the other two rolls before sending the camera back. Lt. Yantis, the Battalion Adjutant, and a nut on cameras was saying that we may be allowed to take our cameras but I am not taking any chances. Methinks that we had better not have them.
So long,
/s/ Roman
Roman
If you want, you can send me whatever money is left in my personal fund (buy out of it, before forwarding, a few packages of dates). I have a taste for them. If you want to put walnuts in them so much the better.