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

Dear Aunty Clara,

Sunday

I received your letter of November 10th today and you really have me puzzled. It is the letter in which you mention the Xmas package with the hard candies in them. First of all you say "I hope that the package I sent with the hard candies doesn't reach you too soon." That wish of yours is certainly coming true and I have been getting worried about it during the last week wondering if it ever is going to get here. Then you say "I think it will be the package that will mean more Xmas to you." That one has me stumped. For the life of me I cannot think what could be sent in a package which would make it seem more like Xmas time. Then you puzzle me still further by telling me about "a slip of paper with the familiar printing on it." What familiar printing? And then the climax is reached when you say that after I get it you will explain it still further. First I'll have to receive the package to find out just what you are talking about and then I'll have to wait another twenty days before the explanation arrives. My head is going in circles trying to think what it might be.

Also in this same letter you ask me if I went ahead and took a chance on the one lesson which Uncle Jack gave me so many years ago. Well, yes and no. I had three or four short practice runs before I felt capable of handling it.

Still in the same letter you ask about Lt. Podelwitz. Yes, I think he knows all about "splatki" because he is not only Catholic and Polish but he lives and belongs to a couple of lodges where there are the old style Polaks.

By the way, I did not do what I said I was going to do yesterday and that was to write to other people before writing to you. You see, it is past midnight and this is the very first opportunity all day long that I have had the time to sit down and write a letter. And at this late hour I would go to bed rather than to write extra letters.

Besides the one letter from you today, I received another one which was from the St. Valentine's Church. They enclosed four items which I haven't had much of a chance to look over. As near as I could make out, one was Christmas greeting card, the other was an explanation that the Holy Name Holy Hour that was held in Soldier's Field made the sending of that letter possible, the third is something about the Rosary and the fourth item looks like a tract.

But now for a description of the busy day of rest. It wasn't until almost ten o'clock this morning that the other occupants of the tent began making so much noise that I just could not sleep any more. It was while I was dressing that Jack Molyneaux came in and said they were looking for me down at the Personnel Office. It seems that once again it was my turn for CQ and I didn't know a thing about it. Mike was on duty also and he didn't seem to care that I came in two hours late since there was no urgent work to be done.

I was still a bit groggy with sleep and cobwebs in my eyes and brain so I whiled away the AM by skimming thru the Atlas for interesting facts, eating peanuts and cookies, and finally talking from 11:15 to 11:50 with John T. Edie and Lawrence Y. Isaacson who dropped around to keep me company.

It was when I went to lunch that the work began which made me repent for having thrown away those two hours in the morning. Captain Hanton had me type up some work and it took a little longer than I expected and then Lt. Weisman, our Motor Officer, had me turn in a report for him. By the time that was done, Nyalka had some work for me to do and it was a lulu of a job. It seems that the Lt. Col's bond allotment is all mixed up and we had to type up a letter trying to clear up the situation and then enclose true copies of all forms relating to his allotment. That was the tough part because many of the forms were discontinued and I had to make true copies which have to

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

be letter perfect and take quite some time to do. It wasn't until well after three o'clock that I was free to do what I wanted.

That is when I started on my footlocker. There was more work to that thing than I thought because I started in the afternoon, worked until chowtime, came back and worked until show time and then after the show I worked on it until now. The project is done and although there are a couple of rough spots which I didn't anticipate in my mind's eye picture of it, it is still a work which I am well proud of. It doesn't look too odd but it does look a bit out of the ordinary. The thing is that it will be practical in that it was especially designed to fit my needs. As planned, it has a shelf like compartment in the front and a closed in compartment in the back which is twice the size of the shelf space.

I made a horrible mess in the office with sawdust, nails, boards and whatnot strewn here there and everywhere but that will have to be policed up by yours truly before going to bed tonight.

The picture this evening almost wasn't. At five of seven, just as Larry and I prepared to walk up to the amphitheater area, who should walk into the office but Sol Gordon with the news that the film was nowhere to be found and on top of that, Brown, the new man was sick. He had been to town today and came back in a sad state of pixilation. That was just fine and dandy. Five minutes before show time and I was stuck with the operator's job and no film to run.

We called up downtown to find out if someone had picked up the reels but the fellow there didn't know a thing about it. Then we called up Lt. Yantis and he said we were to pick it up from a nearby outfit and that we should run down and see if it was there. Gordon and I took the pick up truck and rode down there where, sure enough, the film was all packed and ready to be picked up.

Well, by the time I let Gordon off, drove the car back into the Motor pool and got up to the Projection Booth Lt. Yantis and Gordon had gotten the film and the machine ready for the picture and all that was left for me to do was to run it off.

"The Whispering Ghost" was the title of the picture with Milton Berle. It was spooky, semi-humorous and entertaining. There was quite a bit of dark photography showing dark rooms and passageways and a person has to strain his eyes to see it. Best of all was the "Our Gang Comedy" which showed the kids running a small homemade newspaper with all their attendant troubles.

Blumenfeld wanted me to go into town tomorrow and see about his comfort shoes but I think I will do better to stay in camp and write letters and look up the members of our show so that we can have a rehearsal tomorrow evening. I had also better get some dialogue worked up for some of the fellows who will have a few words to say. Then, too, I'll have to construct a little framework for a stage prop we are going to need.

Incidentally, I am not the only GI that is getting to have a collection of books. Quite a number of the fellows in the office have received books for Christmas presents. And Robbin tells me that a fellow he knows has been receiving good books quite regularly ever since arriving on the Island.

You have no doubt talked to the Reeds and mentioned that I received their package and you probably wrote Milwaukee and told them the same thing but for Aunty Lilly and Virginia I can pretend that I just received the gifts. That way it will not appear as if I was lax in answering and they will feel a little better thinking it arrived a little bit nearer Xmas if a month away could be called close.

So-long,
/s/ Roman
Roman