Cpl Roman F. Klick 36620923
Co "A", 353rd Engr Regt
A.P.O. #502, c/o Postmaster
San Francisco, California
September 17, 1943
Dear Aunty Clara,
Friday
I can see a breathing spell in sight. Today, I finished up most of the work that must be done immediately. Now all that is left to do is ordinary thing which will not take too long nor is there any time limit on their completion. It sure was a strange sensation to clear out my desk today for a reorganization and to look for what work was next on the program.
And I wore off a little of the sleepiness by resting thru the noon hour and by resting between four and five this afternoon. It is 10:30 at the present time and will probably be about 11:30 before I get to my tent and it will be shortly before twelve when I settle myself down to sleep for the night but I will not be as tired tonight as I have been on the other days of this week.
Tomorrow night should see me in bed at an early hour because I'll be switched if I'm going to go see the show. We were supposed to have scheduled, "Night to Remember" and by gosh if we didn't get "Street of Chance" back again. I saw it twice the last time we had it here and this evening's trip up the island with it makes the third time.
There was great confugalty up the island this evening as I turned the switch on and nothing happened. The wire was broken but we didn't know that until we checked and double checked the movie projector. It took almost a half hour before the wire could be repaired and then I put on the film with the second reel first. They had become twisted in the box someway and I had to take it out and put the first reel on. Everyone in the booth with me, the Tech Sgt, Buck Sgt and 1st Lt and myself all had a good laugh knowing full well that the fellows were going to ask for their money back after sitting in the darkness for almost an hour we show them a picture they had already seen.
I had a driver from the Medics today and Aunty Clara, my heart was in my mouth almost all the way back. I don't know how these fellows ever get to be drivers but I know that I would never hire them as chauffeurs. When a sign says "Slow Curve", they step on the gas to take it. They light cigarettes while oncoming cars are approaching and gun the motor just so the fellow behind them can't pass them up. I used to think that Steinhauser was a pretty cocksure fellow when he used to write down No Accidents on his dispatch papers before he even started out but now I know that he must realize he is a very safe and sane driver compared to the other lunatics. I think I am going to talk to Lt Yantis about letting me have one of the other days when we show movies in our amphitheater and then he can take the film up the island on Wednesdays.
I accidentally ran across an article in some sort of Christian Science paper in our Dayroom and it was all about Fabulous Field's. It was a very good article and told about all the things Field's do to carry out their slogan that the customer is always right. It had three pictures: one of the building; one of the ceiling over the center well; and a picture showing the main floor beneath the place where their Service Flag is now hung. I felt like typing it out and sending to you but you know everything that appears in the article anyway. It says Field's is one of the two largest department stores in the world. It makes a person feel good just to read an article away out here in nowhere concerning a place where you've been and know.
Just the other day the fellows were talking about the fact that we weren't seeing any of those millions of packages of cigarettes which the tobacco companies were sending overseas to the boys. I don't know whether the five packs of Old Golds everyone received the other day were from the Old Gold people but tonight everyone received one pack of Chesterfields and it was marked as having been contributed to the soldiers from the company. So far I have unloaded my packs onto Jack. We get free beer and cigarettes and neither does me any good.
So-long,
/s/ Roman
Roman