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

Dear Aunty Clara,

I had had great plans for today but none of them came thru. This was to be the Sunday in which I caught up on my letter writing. I was going to see how many of the ten letters which I now owe, I could answer besides writing a few pages to you. As it has turned out it is now ten minutes to ten o'clock at night and I am first now beginning this letter.

Reasons, many and varied, are the cause of my laxity. For one thing, this morning I was busy typing up some unfinished work such as letters, reports and rosters. My early rising vow came to a sorry end and it wasn't until past eight o'clock that I managed to get down to the office; so you see the hours that were left of the morning were pretty well taken up with work.

This afternoon was frittered away doing absolutely nothing. First we went to the PX and bought some tootsie rolls. And then we strolled into the big tent and began practicing the piano. By we, I mean Larry and I. Anyhow, I taught him in one easy two minute lesson all that I knew about music. From one o'clock until five o'clock we sat there at the piano just plunking away song after song. This much is definite now --- given a song with a note-at-a-time then I can play it without even looking at the keyboard. Anything complicated and which requires the use of more then one finger at one time leaves me flabbergasted and unable to play it. Incidentally, there is an idea for a simple Christmas gift if anyone wants to send me anything during that one month period I have already told you about. If I still have the same burning ambition to get noise out of a piano, I would greatly appreciate a book on how to play a piano in several easy self-taught lessons. It would give me something definite to work on instead of this hit or miss business.

Shortly after supper, Robin walked into my tent with a grin on his face from ear to ear. I knew what he was grinning about but had to be certain before I could speak to him about the subject. I didn't know whether it was confidential information or not at the time but I found out later that Lt. Yantis had spoken to him on the subject by that time. It was simply this. The Island Command could use Blumenfeld in their office and have requested his transfer. This would take him out of the regiment permanently and he has no objections to offer for the possible transfer. All that is necessary to make it stick is to have them accept him in an interview and the approval of our colonel.

There was a double feature movie this evening and Lt. Yantis did the running of it. In between the movies, he delivered a flash bulletin that had just been received regarding the capture of Kiska Island by the American forces and not seeing a single Japanese on the place. It seems almost impossible to think of taking one of the Kurile Islands from the Japanese 750 miles to the south of Kiska and Attu but if such a long distance maneuver could be affected that might help bring the war to a sudden end for the road would be clear to the bombing of Japan proper.

The shows this evening were, "Desert Victory" and "The Old Chisholm Trail". The first one I had seen at Camp White and will always be entertaining from the standpoint of history. The second one was "A Horse Opera" with Johnny Mack Brown. Those cowboy pictures are entertaining more for their setting and ham plots than anything else.

By the way, before I forget, there is a carpenter in Company B who looks like Clarence Boyer only older and a little smaller. He has the same profile, sandy hair, shape of head, and the same expression in his mouth. Isn't it funny how some people can look so much like other people. I'm sorry that this will be the only letter for today. It's later now and Larry is through writing his letter.

So-long,
/s/ Roman
Roman