Cpl Roman F. Klick 36620923
Co "A", 353rd Engr Regt
A.P.O. #502, c/o Postmaster
San Francisco, California
23 November 1943
Dear Aunty Clara,
Tuesday
At the last minute, while the event was being assembled in the big tent, it was announced that the show would be held in the amphi-theater as usual. The show went off without a hitch and it was a fairly good picture concerning the beginnings of the Hudson Bay Company. Before the picture our Chaplain presented another Chaplain who has had the unique experience of being one of the exchange prisoners in this war. He had quite a few interesting things to say but when a person is waiting for the movie to begin and a fellow keeps talking for more than a half an hour into the movie time, one loses interest in the speaker.
I thought I taught Brown a few tricks in the few times that he was up in the booth when I operated the machine but evidently I didn't. For one thing, I wanted to see the cast of characters at the end of the picture but Brown turned off the movie the very minute the end had flashed on the screen. Not only did he not show the cast of characters but he stopped the continuity of the movie to bring in the Pepsi-Cola records. It is much better, in my mind, to let the entire film reel out and if there is any music on the second track, you might as well use that instead of putting on a record.
Although it was well after nine-thirty when the show was over, Larry and I still thought we might be able to take our evening shower. Unfortunately, that was not to be for tonight since we discovered the fire had gone out during the day and the showers were all cold. A warm shower is a good go in the evening but no cold business for me when I can help it. There probably will be enough times when I'll be forced to take cold showers so I'll save them until then.
It was too late to run thru a rehearsal of the show this evening after the movie picture. That means tomorrow night will have to be just about the real thing and then if we can get Thursday afternoon off for one more rehearsal, we may be able to go on the stage.
I was going to write a few short thank you notes this evening but I've waited so long now that I guess another day or so isn't going to hurt. I still have to rewrite Anita's letter but that is always a good alibi I can use for it being late. Of course, to the Reed's I will have to be very apologetic and I am. Aunt-Aunt, Aunty Lilly and Virginia do not know I have received their packages so I can pretend I just received them and I think my Dad and Rose will understand when I explain the situation to them.
The crystal on my glass is becoming more and more nicked and scratched. I only hope that it doesn't become Gunderson's crystal which resembles a pane of unbreakable glass after being smacked with a baseball bat. Quite a few of the fellows here purchased, from some place or another, a leather casing which covers the entire watch and band. Personally I do not like that idea for more than one reason. For one thing, you know that the leather seems to wear my skin and causes it to become a bit raw and in the second place, why cover up the beauty of a wrist watch and make it troublesome to look at the time by having to unsnap the leather case?
About this truck driving. They are not really trucks as you probably think them to be. The mail truck is a small job similar to one of those newspaper trucks which whiz around the city with the late Redline Daily Newses while the weapons carriers are a little longer. I'm not in any way a mechanic. You will probably understand why I didn't mention anything about it before when I tell you that in the Army only drivers who possess permits can drive the vehicles around.
It is now about ten minutes after ten so I have a good chance of hitting the hay by ten-thirty if I hurry a little bit.
So-long,
/s/ Roman
Roman