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

Dear Aunty Clara,

Thursday

It will happen every time. We have the insulated box and the five gallon can for the ice cream and the words we jokingly said about there being no ice cream came true. The ice cream machine has broken down and for an indefinite time we will have to just stare at our ice cream box and let our tongues hang out.

The PX has the coke syrup in and carbonated water can be obtained in town. Mersing and I were supposed to go back into town to return the payroll today but we never did get to go. I was going to bring back some carbonated water for the Personnel Section and the French doughnuts for our tent.

We couldn't do much work today at the office because we were expecting some visiting officials. We have to dress up and fix everything just right for them just as people do for company. Instead of wearing our everyday fatigue clothing we had to dress up in khakis and the new Lt Colonel would come thru the offices every now and then to see if our floors were swept and all paper piled in neat order. Naturally, under those conditions it is impossible to do what work we want to since our desks would be cluttered with paper.

The mail situation looks very good as far as packages are concerned but I hardly think the next one is due to arrive yet. While I sat at my desk typing the first few lines of this letter, Larry walked in and handed me four letters. One is a Christmas card from Mrs Reed and Myrtle and the other three are V-mails from you dated the 25th, 26th and the 27th.

So it looks as if "One Man's Family" is giving the Lacy family the bum's rush out of the picture, eh?

And your just telling me about the Karmel Korn and how good it tasted made me hungry for the stuff. I too wished that I could have had some. So far as I know popcorn does not exist on this island. I have seen neither the fresh popcorn nor the packaged variety.

Lt Yantis has a brand new plan of having one fellow take over the running of the movie machine instead of having the three of us divide the burden. He has already gone as far as advertising for some Private or Private First Class who has had experience in the line or would be willing to learn it. That person will have nothing else to do but run the machine and will be placed on Class "A" Special Duty. The reason for Lt Yantis doing this isn't simple, there are about ten different things he has on mind.

One of the main reasons is that since we have the movie scheduled to us the day before we show it at the outfit across the river, we do not know what condition the film is in and must go over it carefully to find the flaws. Before we would take the chance on breaks at the other outfit and have it repaired when we ran it for our boys. We have been running thru it rapidly but to do the job well, it would take more than an hour. Then too, there is the psychology of the setup. He frankly admits he wants some mild, meek mannered fellow who he can bawl out for fair when something goes wrong with the film. Since we are volunteers doing it in our spare time, he feels he neither can bawl us out severely or expect that everything should be perfect because of the fact that we can only spend so much time on it. He knows because he is in the very same boat with us in that connection.

So the first bond finally arrived. I'm glad to hear that. There will be only two more because I only had the allotment going from January thru March. Still that was $56.25 of mine floating around where we couldn't get our hands on it in case of an emergency.

You and I must think in the same patterns. Just during the last few days or so I have been considering sending Pat either a Christmas card or a Christmas letter and now you pop up with the identical suggestion.

So-long,
/s/ Roman
Roman