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Cpl Roman F. Klick 36620923
Co "A", 353rd Engr Regt
A.P.O. #502, c/o Postmaster
San Francisco, California
13Oct43

Dear Aunty Clara,

Wednesday

There was no mail today. I've nothing to do tonight so I hope I will be able to answer the three letters which I have been letting lay around the desk unanswered. It seems that they aren't showing any movie up at the other place tonight because their electrical facilities are nil.

I also received my haircut today. The barber just trims the hair nowadays when I go to him somewhere within the two week period. Of course, the fellows say that I didn't even go for a haircut and I must admit that a person has to look rather hard to tell that I just had a hair cut. On the other hand, you and all the rest of the people back home would think that I've been keeping it trimmed just right. In other words, it is at the point where it doesn't look as if I have been freshly shorn; nor does it look as if I need a haircut. Do you know what I mean?

The PX has finally stocked up on a little candy --- Butterfingers. After not having any candy for three weeks or more, even Butterfingers taste good.

The rumor that the Yanks won turned out to be true. That makes six world champions out of the last eight years and seven pennants out of those eight years. The Yanks are like President Roosevelt, you can't remember when either was out of power last.

Just now Jack asked me to say hello to you and then to remind you to get hold of some of those V-mail covers for us. I then told him that you had just written to me yesterday that I can start making my own. He suggested making them out of deer skin the next time one of our company hunting parties come back with one. That will be o.k. if we can do it.

Did I tell you that the other day when we were coming back from showing the picture up the Island, Steinhauser was telling me what he would like to do when we get out of the Army? His ambition is to open up a repair shop and gasoline station somewhere on the Southeast side of the city. Probably somewhere around the place Tommy lives. He would be content to earn about $110 a week so that he can buy a car, a home, and a Chriscraft motor launch for the lake.

I guess about every ex-solider will something on mind similar to that and the best part about it is that within about ten years after the war the great majority of them will have fulfilled their ambitions. I guess that is what makes America so different from the other countries. I was reading quite a lot of statistics the other day and it seems that we have 26 million radio sets in the USA while Germany comes closest with 12 million. We have over 30 million of the worlds 45 million automobiles. We have 3 million of the 10 million road miles. We have 20 million of the world's 40 million telephones and we have twice as many railroad miles as Russia and Germany combined. With that kind of record behind us in the pre-war America seems easy to picture a post-war America twice as good as that. Even to a little thing like wristwatches which I might have commented on previously. Only Mike and Jack are without wristwatches in the entire personnel section (and Jack is seriously considering sending home for his). We are a people who decide what we want and then except fully well that it is our inalienable right to get it.

If enough people are going to want helicopters after the war and extensive air travel, it is sure as rain that we will get them. If America wants cheap housing, with quality and fast, the same will hold true. If enough Americans want to get into free enterprise on their own, there will be nothing under the sun to stop them. War or no war, pessimists or no pessimists, after this war is over we are probably all going to be richer and have more of the comforts of life than ever before. At least there is something to look forward to, eh?

So-long,
/s/ Roman
Roman