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

Dear Aunty Clara,

Friday

In the mail this evening I received two V-mail letters. One was from you dated Friday the 2nd of November and the other was from my Dad dated the 1st of November. I also received three Daily Newses. One of them was a Saturday edition, the first Saturday paper I have received. Since I had to go to the Motor Pool at quarter to six to pick up the pick-up truck, I didn't have the time to read the papers.

My Dad's letter was very interesting and Rose added a paragraph at the bottom. They tell me that they have renewed my subscription to the Reader's Digest which they started last year. That was good news because I like to get that magazine.

I ran the show tonight but I had company. It was the new man who is to take over the running of the film as a full time job. He is a rather likeable chap, about 35 years old, married and comes from Denver, Colorado. His Dad is a Prudential insurance salesman in Denver which is a coincidence seeing as how my papa slaved for his company in that city for a while, too.

The fellow has never touched a movie camera before but is willing to learn. He was up in the booth all day long learning how to thread the film and has it down pat. He also went thru the film to check for breaks of which he found five and then he washed the film with a damp rag. In addition to those tasks he made the booth look neater than it ever has been. It seemed as if he scrubbed the place out.

He first started out in Army life as a Quartermaster at no other place than Clarence's camp but he wasn't there until December of last year. He had the same four weeks of basic and then started school just as Clarence did. From there he was rushed to the Port of Embarkation and shipped across to this island where he has been since before we were here. He was in the main postal service branch but didn't get any rating so asked for a transfer to some outfit here on the island where he might have a chance for advancement. But by getting into the 353rd as a movie operator he is not getting the break he wanted. Since there is no specific job as an operator in this regiment, it is hardly likely that he will ever get a rating for it.

The show, "Buck Bunny Rides Again", proved entertaining for the second time anyway, mainly because of the fast moving dialogue. There were no breaks and we were back here at nine o'clock.

But it is now ten-thirty and with all this gabbing going on between Larry and Thomas Campbell, the evening is slowly but surely being kicked out of the window.

Now it is eleven o'clock and I'm getting nowhere fast. Say, Aunty Clara, you are doing alright on that Red Cross Blood Donation business. It sounded humorous as anything to hear that you had now become a member of the gallon club. That is a funny way to be talking about blood. And they gave you a purple heart ribbon for it, eh? I'll get you that there aren't many people who are sporting red ribbons, right? Will you draw me a picture of how the ribbon and the button go together?

So Billy Breiger finally was sent across. That makes one down and about ten to go. It isn't right for me to be wanting the other fellows to get into the frying pan along with me, it is more or less a feeling that since so many of them managed to stay in the States for so long, why couldn't it have happened to me as well. However, what happens happens and there isn't anything we can do about it so I might as well accept the situation philosophically.

Incidentally, my French lessons have bogged down but as soon as the payroll is signed and a few other items are pushed out of the way, I'm going to get back at it. I think that instead of writing more letters this evening, I will start checking over the rough draft payroll which I did in such a hurry this afternoon.

So-long,   /s/ Roman   Roman