Cpl Roman F. Klick 36620923
Co "A", 353rd Engr Regt
A.P.O. #502, c/o Postmaster
San Francisco, California
August 13, 1943

Dear Aunty Clara,

Pant, pant, and pant! Not one minute ago I signed my name to the completed payroll. One might call it a "dawn-to-dusk" payroll because that is just about how long it took me. As far as I know at the present time, it is one of the best payrolls I have made yet as far as the errors go. As far as the authenticity of the work, well, that is another matter and I will check it within the next day or so. I even had to work thru noon hour so that I could finish it by four bells. Right after chow I am due to hop a car and ride down to the other outfit with the projector; therefore, during the hour which still remains before suppertime, I must try to get as much of the payroll signed as possible.

Cpl Schultz, the Company Clerk of Company E, brought down a very good canvas portrait of himself. He had it painted in town for only $20.00 in two sittings. If I can scrape that much money together, I would like to have a painting made. Would that be a good thing?

You may think I'm crazy but I had a brainstorm last night as I watched the moving picture with Lana Turner in it. What is to stop a fellow from picking his wife and then going out to get her. Lana Turner is alright and the only thing a fellow would have to do is to get into Hollywood society (and there are a dozen ways that could be done), meet her and wait for her to divorce her husband, Steve Crane. I'll have to shock Dolores with that idea because, if you recall, she and I have a bargain that after Bennie dies and I divorce my first wife, we are going to marry each other. I'll have to let her know that Lana is going to be my Number 1.

The only thing that I don't like about wearing a new watch is that day by day I can see the crystal becoming scratched up. They all look so nice and clear and new when you first put them on but soon that first scratch is etched in and then one by one they begin to multiply and mar the appearance of the once beautiful time-piece. So far I have two scratches on the crystal. Incidentally, the watch has kept perfect time since I set it.

Time is fleeting and I am in such a hurry to write this that I am forgetting half of the things I was going to say. I have received no letters so far today and I probably will not at this late hour. I've been eating just as many candy bars as usual but I have refrained from buying anymore. My finances are now down to about two dollars so I will have to be sparing in my further expenditures.

I saw Sgt Cava this morning and told him that I heard good news from the home front. You see we had a pact which was that we should tell each other any news of special significance which we think both our families would know about so that the two insurance men can get their heads together over it. Cava is going to write to his Dad and have him speak to my Dad.

O shucks, I sit here five minutes overtime typing this letter because I wanted to save time and now the Major brought in a regular problem relating to some kind of discharge or another and I will have to go trotting around the regimental area looking for different people. It looks as if circumstance will prevent me from doing what I had intended to do with this last hour.

As the man said who spoke to us the other night about the island. "Man proposes, God disposes." Or in other words "The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray."

Gosh, this world we live in is fast. Fifteen seconds ago I was struck with work and now it has been taken out of my hands. Elmer Keck came in and is going up to where Lt Yantis, Beaumont and Nyalka are and he is going to explain the whole situation to them. That was a stroke of luck to have him come in and be going that way. Now to have the payroll signed.

So-long,
/s/ Roman
Roman