Home | Return to Index

Cpl Roman F. Klick 36620923
Co "A", 353rd Engr Regt
A.P.O. #502, c/o Postmaster
San Francisco, California
October 6, 1943

Dear Aunty Clara,

Wednesday

Comes one o'clock and we managed to get a radio rigged up in the Personnel Section so we could listen to a rebroadcast of the first game of the World Series coming from San Francisco thru the local Army radio station. Comes one thirty and we were informed that they were unable to make connection and that we could listen to a rebroadcast that night over KWID the San Francisco station short waving broadcasts to soldiers on foreign duty. Meanwhile the wiseacres were all trying to get some Cardinal dough. It seems they heard an early news broadcast tell of a Yankee victory.

I've finally made some progress in my Oral French book. I succeeded in translating three pages, learning a few words, phrases and idioms, and reading a few short paragraphs in French. It made me feel good to know that I finally accomplished something along that line.

Lt Yantis told Gordon that it would be well for him to learn how to operate the movie machine so that he could help out occasionally. Today he dropped the whole thing in Gordon's lap and said that he (Yantis) would operate the movie here on Thursday nights and let us figure out a way to operate it between the two of us on the other six nights. We rebelled against that and thought he should take it up the island at least once a week so that neither of us would have to go up the island more than twice one week. However, after he is thru with his administration school in a few weeks , he has agreed to go up there once a week, from then on it will operate on a three, two and two basis for the seven nights. As for this evening there is no show at the other place both because of conditions and the lack of a generator.

John T. Edie came back from his three day pass at the rest camp and is full of nothing but praises for the place. They say you can get more real ice cream than you can eat and that the PX is loaded with candy. The major (A Red Cross major, I believe) who is in charge of the camp is Frank Zalud and, if I'm not mistaken, is a Ciceronian. Uncle Joe or my Dad may know more about that than I do.

We have quite a character in Master Sergeant Hauser of H&S Company. He is an old coot from the last war and pretty near a thirty year man. He must know just about every native tribe around this place because he mixes with the inhabitants every night, goes to their pow-wows, gets in their dice games and is referred to as the big chief. He can take an old dollar watch like an Ingersoll and get anywhere from ten to twelve dollars for it from his tribe. Gold pieces also bring in a good price since the women use the old U.S. $20 gold piece as charms to hang around their neck. One gold piece will bring in about $50. He tells of the sacrificial ceremonies at which even the Americans must sacrifice something like a cap, belt or handkerchief. They will not let an American sacrifice money since they are under the impression that money means nothing to us and that we have too much of it to notice a sacrifice. When asked how he talks with them, he answers that when you get one of them to slow down you find that they are not talking French but English backwards.

There must be a big load of mail today because at noon, T/5 Hill did not have it ready yet. After getting two letters a day for the last few days, I really don't expect any from you but maybe if it's slow mail I might get a package or a letter from somebody else.

Remember that whiskey label I told you about a few days ago? I think it is a big fake now because the bottle was manufactured by the Illinois-Owens Company and the label was printed by some company in San Francisco. For all we know the whole works was just sent out to this island and then sold under false pretenses. I'll save it anyway --- fake or no fake --- it will be some sort of souvenir.

So-long,   /s/ Roman   Roman