Cpl Roman F. Klick 36620923
Co "A", 353rd Engr Regt
A.P.O. #502, c/o Postmaster
San Francisco, California
October 12, 1943
Dear Aunty Clara,
Tuesday
The big news of the day, the sensational buzz which stirred the camp, the front page gossip was that two climbed to the top of that mountain which Larry and I climbed half way up about months ago. It so happened that Johnson, of Regimental Headquarters, and Campbell of Personnel along with myself had been getting a drink of water at the lister bag when we began discussing the mountain. Almost simultaneously we noticed a figure moving on the face of the hill. Away up thar in the hill was a white speck slowly but surely ascending the steep incline. Well, I'm telling you that the Canopy Row turned out in mass to watch the torturous climb to the top. Somehow or other, the sight of a man climbing to the top of a mountain attracts spectators just as surely as a subway construction crew on State street. After watching for about forty minutes, the officers and enlisted men from Major somebody to Private nobody had the satisfaction of seeing the white shirted figure scale the topmost peak.
But that was not all. It was noticed at that time that there had been another white shirted figure waiting at the top for this newcomer. Just then the S-3 section of our outfit came home for the night lugging along their transits and other surveying equipment. They were promptly set up and trained on the nearby heights. The two fellows had planted stakes in the ground with a flag flying above it to proclaim their mighty achievement. The entire regiment was returning to work by this time and the transit was busier than any World's Faire telescope ever hoped to be. The S/Sgt in charge enlivened the scene with a running patter, "Have the correct change please. Only one thin dime and no waiting. No smoking in the first three rows. Don't shove, don't crowd there's room for all."
The news hasn't been confirmed yet but the latest chow line rumor has it that the Yankees swept the Cardinals off their feet in the fifth and concluding game of the series. I sure do hope that isn't wrong. What a team. They are like all good champions. They may get beat once such as last year when the Card trounced them four straight games but they come back and lay it on thick by taking four games to the Cardinals lone triumph.
Besides those things I really banged out the work this morning and it went by like nobody's business. There is still quite a lot of work to be done but the jobs are the good kind. None too short and none too long. Things like rosters and fairly long reports which make you feel as if you have accomplished something after they are finished.
I also did some finigaling on the film this afternoon. I went up to rewind the three reels for this evening's show and out it down to two reels by combining the film. This will not only help make the show better by cutting down the one extra rethreading job but will also give us another spare reel in case we should accidentally send one back to Special Services as I have been in the habit of doing.
I received two letters from you today dated the 1st and 2nd of October. My goodness, but you sure do go without mail for quite a stretch at a time, don't you? According to what you tell me in the letters you should have received some ten or fifteen letters on Monday. I'll answer your letters in more detail tonight as the time right now is but five minutes to six and I will have to be hustling up to the booth in short order.
Gordon just passed by the tent in this last minute and he agreed to take over the first fifteen minutes which means setting up the loud speaker and starting the records playing. That will give me time to finish this letter, mail it and also take in a few moments of the news broadcast.
I'll also have to hustle over to the office to get the larger lens for the machine.
So-long,
/s/ Roman
Roman