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

Dear Aunty Clara,

Sunday

I suddenly found myself tired last night after finishing the letter I sent with the Asiatic-Pacific Theater Ribbon so I went off to bed without writing any additional letters. If I could possibly write nine or ten letters today I would be able to demolish the present back log of answers due or thank you notes due.

Even though I took a shower last night immediately following the show, I found that I was terrible sweated up this morning just from laying underneath those wool blankets until ten o'clock this morning. As a result, Mersing and I walked down for a quick shower but already I am beginning to feel the heat once again. That is one of the objections I have of taken showers at any other time of the day but after eight o'clock PM and that is that the refreshment doesn't last long.

Things are approaching a disasterous state as I put on my last pair of khakis this morning. All my other clothes, fatigues and khakis both are either too dirty to wear or are in the laundry.

T/S Hill says that they sent in a big 2½-ton truck to get the mail today because there was so much of it. He also claims that the Regimental Mail Clerk says that this may be the last shipment of Christmas packages or that there may be one more and then quits. The regular letter mail will be ready for distribution at noon today but chances are that I will not get any since I have been receiving mail pretty steady from you for the past week. Either that or I will get about four letters from you and then not get any for the next week.

John T. Edie was going thru his Christmas packages this morning. For the most part he is saving his collection of edibles until Christmas day whereas everyone else consumed their things on the spot. He has all day suckers, jars of olives, peanut brittle, fruit cake, jam and quite a few other things stored away for that day three weeks from now.

The November Reader's Digest magazine has been put on sale at the PX but for the first time in a long time, the mailed subscriptions have not shown up ahead of time. I could possible expect that in today's mail as well as some more Daily Newses which haven't shown up for quite some time. Do you know that some Daily Newses never did show up? I supposed that is to be expected.

As a general rule, the breezes here are those lazy, hot summer blasts which do more to enervate a person than just sitting down trying to keep cool. But, occasionally we have a good old stiff breeze which evidently hops over the hills lining the coast and comes into our valley directly from the ocean. It is just like being back home again and having a Lake Michigan wind smack you in the face. For that little bit I don't mind it but if it would keep up forever like back home, I would get mighty tired of it. Even in Chicago there were time when I didn't mind the wind but usually it was a pain in the neck because it either blew a person's hat off, mussed up a person's hair, was biting cold or when riding a bike, it held a person's back like a brick wall. And the Chicago wind also helps keep our house refrigerated in the winter time.

Two people in the office have an illness called can't-resist-missing-your-hair-itis. They are Harvey Beaumont and Ralph Pfau and they continually walk up and down the desks giving everyone's hair a going over. It is one of those little things which add to their popularity.

You know, I can't remember the last time I ever ate a breakfast on a Sunday morning. I was awake this AM when the fellows were getting their mess kits and going over to the mess hall but I just went right back to sleep. Mersing has the funny way of talking to the others and including me in on his conversations even if I am huddled underneath my blankets seemingly sound asleep. Whenever, I hear him and am conscious enough to answer, I do so and it must have a comical effect to have a sleeping person come in on the tail end of conversations.

Oh, oh!! That Billy Goat is in here again. We are trying to get him out now.

So-long,   /s/ Roman   Roman