Cpl Roman F. Klick 36620923
Co "A", 353rd Engr Regt
A.P.O. #502, c/o Postmaster
San Francisco, California
July 16, 1943

Dear Aunty Clara,

I meant to write last night but somehow I seemed to be seized with an attack of sleeping sickness and before I knew it I was sound asleep just laying there on my cot. After several hours of sleeping just like that I woke up and made my bed and finally did go to sleep proper like. The funny part about the first sleep is that when anyone came into the tent I was very conscious of it. For instance, at one time Mersing was in the tent and Blumenfeld stuck his head in the door asking if Klick was around. Since my corner of the tent is very obscure and surrounded in shadows and also because I had completely covered myself with the blankets, Mersing said I wasn't in. Then Blumenfeld asked where I might have gone to, Mersing said up to Larry's tent, and then Blumenfeld left. Although I knew all that was going on, I was in one of those stupors which form the borderline between sleeping and being awake and was therefore powerless to do anything about it.

During the few hours after supper, Larry was telling me how he happened to meet his wife and finally marry her. Evidently that had some affect upon my subconscious mind because I dreamed of a certain girl who I hadn't even thought of since Eleanor's letter mentioned her. That just shows to go you how crazy dreams can be.

The funniest thing in the world happened yesterday to one of our buglers, Zamora. He kept asking the time until it was ten after eleven. At that time he went out to the bugle call area and let go with "Recall". Before he could finish the first round they were calling from Regimental Headquarters in frantic voices for him to stop it. He asked what the matter was and they said it wasn't time yet for Recall. His answer back to them was that it was ten after eleven and it was time to blow it. You see, one of the peculiar tricks of the mind had happened to him. He was thinking ten minutes to twelve and saying ten minutes after eleven. It had the same effect as if I were back in the Planning Office and suddenly got up from my desk and blew the buzzer forty minutes ahead of time.

Now that it is well into summer back home I imagine that you are taking all sorts of pictures. You must remember that some of those rolls of film we bought up a half a year ago will be good only for the next few months. If you take some films, please send me what you think I would be most interested in. My corner of the tent was just about fixed up perfect when an accident happened. Someone must have come and leaned up against the clothes rack because this morning the thing was caving away over on its side and the only way I could bolster it for the time being was to use my pup tent rope as a guy wire. My cabinet holds all my clothes and equipment but for the things I have on the clothes rack and the tiny duckboard I built for underneath the rack on which I keep a few miscellaneous items in a barracks bag.

I just discovered a few days back that there is another fellow in the regiment that lives close to home and has gone to Morton High. His name is Robert Peckat and he lives just one block away from Mary Kuehnle in Berwyn. I believe his address is 1931 S Home Ave. That was a surprise to discover it at this late date. He graduated high school the year after I did. I will have to hunt the fellow up (he is in the Medics) and see if he knows Marion.

Incidentally, when I received those two letters in nine days, I naturally expected a let up of a few days in the mail but three days have now gone by without any mail. That is the longest stretch since the four days without mail during the first weeks on the island. I suppose I will get some mail today.

Solong,
/s/ Roman
Roman

Author's annotation August 2004: I filed this letter as July 15 instead of the date it has listed (July 16) because it concerns the events of July 15.