Cpl Roman F. Klick 36620923
Co "A", 353rd Engr Regt
A.P.O. #502, c/o Postmaster
San Francisco, California
August 28.1943
Dear Aunty Clara,
Saturday
I received three letters today. That isn't the big rush I expected after a lapse of three days but the cause of it not being one more letter than three was your not having written any letter on the 15th of the month as you say. The 16th and 17th were the two I received from you and I received one from my Dad. Incidentally, he wrote and told me of a most unique coincidence but more of that later.
The movie projector has been in town all day and at this time (4:15) it has not yet been fixed so there will perhaps be no more movies for the weekend at least. That is, of course, if the thing doesn't come in at the last minute.
By the way, that was just about the longest time you went without seeing the Infiestas wasn't it? Usually every Saturday night and then even on weekdays you see either Jeanie herself or the both of them.
Now that I know you have given George Prokopec my new APO address I can sit back and wait for him to write to me if he wants to. I really owe him a letter but who knows where it would wind up if I sent to his old address and when it would get there would be another question.
If this business of Aunty Florence laughing at my utility kit, which really has become a utility, I hope we will be able to laugh ten years from now by just bringing up the subject. People will think we are crazy if say about ten years from now we are sitting in the parlor while there is company and the discussion of the utility of something comes up and Aunty Florence will start it off by laughing and when we realize what she is laughing about we will join in once again. I have a hunch that it will be that way because I grinned from ear to ear when you told me about her laughing again and especially when you asked her what was so funny.
This place is too doggone civilized now that we have fixed up our camp and begun to spread out over the surrounding countryside. The wild fruit I mentioned the first weeks we got here are all gone now and I imagine that should a person go looking for some now he would have quite a long hike for himself. Now that you mentioned the bananas, however, I think it is just about time to take a look at these banana trees we saw back in June with the small bunches of green bananas on them. When riding along the roads, I still get to see quite a few pineapple plants but I've never had a chance to get any.
The PX hasn't any candy or anything so I just have had to hang on to my remaining bits of cash with the result that the Saturday night before the Wednesday payday I still have $0.70 in my pocket. The show "Brother Rat" is playing in town and one of the nurses we came overseas with is holding up the Red Crosses contribution to the play. The other services all have their share in the play. Unfortunately, the play is on Tuesday night and that is school night. Lt. Yantis must go into town and I will have to operate the machine that evening.
I noticed in the articles discussing the conquest of Tunisia and the attack on Sicily our United State Army Air Forces have finally adopted several of Seversky's ideas. One of them being the Tactical Airpower Strategy in which the air arm is considered separate from both the Army and the Navy and is a unit fighting in its own element, the air. They flooded the sky with planes and then came in, unopposed, with a devastating and sustained bombing of the enemy held territory.
There didn't seem to be much news in the paper today but for all we know the war could be over since our news comes in two days late. If this war lasts much longer, I am going to be closing my letters with words anticipating a five percent longevity pay.
So-long,
/s/ Roman
Roman