Cpl Roman F. Klick 36620923
Co "A", 353rd Engr Regt
A.P.O. #502, c/o Postmaster
San Francisco, California
27 December 1943
Dear Aunty Clara,
Monday
The only typing I've had to do so far today was getting out a weekly report. Since then I haven't had any work come up which required my attention so I am spending the day in my tent making up for yesterday's day of duty. I started reading a Daily News this morning but soon fell sound asleep for two hours. Then I tried reading again and the flies bothered me so much that I had to let down my mosquito netting to keep them away from my arms and face.
I then read thru two Saturday issues of the Daily News which I had unwrapped previously to get out the This Week, the comics and the rotogravure sections. There was one good story about MP McGarry which no doubt, you have read. Although, in this last story, this "mouse" didn't have such a big part as she usually does.
From the Daily Newses, I turned to the December issue of the Reader's Digest and read a few articles in it. By that time it was almost twelve o'clock so I sat around waiting for Larry to get back from work and then go to eat lunch.
At the lunch table, Larry and I resumed our controversy of the last few days. I had commented about the excellent flap jacks we were served on Christmas morning as well as Sunday morning. He took exception
Cpl Roman F. Klick 36620923
Co "A", 353rd Engr Regt
A.P.O. #502, c/o Postmaster
San Francisco, California
27 December 1943
to my statement saying that he didn't care for them. Then this morning we repeated the difference concerning the French toast. After all, the Army can't possibly serve the meals with all the different preparations the fellows are used to. It so happens that I have accepted most menus as being good whereas Larry compares them with what he would eat at home and says no good. What really gets him down on me in the line of food is that I will never use any kind of seasoning either salt, pepper, ketchup or what have you. Everyone else seems to use those things to an excess; therefore, I think they are the ones at fault because they have been killing their sensitivity to taste.
Well, to continue with the day's activities, we finished lunch and I went to the PX where I bought another box of Hershey's candy. This time it was milk chocolate with almonds. Now I am using both Aunt-Aunt's tin and the ones Virginia sent to me. They are chuck full with more than thirty bars of candy for future use. I've only eaten four bars so far today.
It is a good thing they are in tin cans because the mice are up to their old tricks of getting into my footlocker. I don't know how they manage to get into the enclosed section of the footlocker in back of the open shelf; but they are doing it as the evidence proves. Today I found several
Cpl Roman F. Klick 36620923
Co "A", 353rd Engr Regt
A.P.O. #502, c/o Postmaster
San Francisco, California
27 December 1943
pieces of half chewed up nuts on top of my tins which the mice had evidently brought in with them to eat. Oh well, as long as I never see them at their game and so long as they don't stay in the footlocker to die, whom am I to evict them from their adopted homes.
I went over to the office at noon on the way back from the PX and brought along Galsworthy's Life which I intend to read after a bit more writing.
Three pieces of mail arrived this afternoon. Two V mails from you dated December 16th + 17th and a Christmas card from Dorothy and Ed. It is a very humorous card which came true ---- "For your Army Christmas! Hope there's a "Major Upset" in the usual routine --- so that Christmas and the New Year will both be plenty "keen".
Incidentally, John T. Edie said that at 1st Sgts call this morning, it had been announced that the restriction as to the name of our Island and the local localities has been lifted. I hope that is true because it will be fun to tell you about various names and things which, heretofore, have been secret and, then too, we can put things on the record which I might otherwise have forgotten by the time the war is over.
It looks like a fourth page of handwritten V-mail is going to be necessary to complete
Cpl Roman F. Klick 36620923
Co "A", 353rd Engr Regt
A.P.O. #502, c/o Postmaster
San Francisco, California
27 December 1943
this afternoon's letter. What I am wondering is whether my four handwritten pages are the equivalent of one typewritten one or more than that?
So my letters to Aunty Florence have begun to arrive, eh? You know, I don't expect her to answer each one but it will give her something to answer (say once a week) so that I'll know she is still alive. Strange to say, it is easier for me to write a short note to her every day than it is to find something to say after waiting for an answer over the lapse of a period of time.
Do you mean to say that if I hadn't told the Victory Club about the money orders, they would have continued to send out bank checks? I've even noticed that the Daily News is mentioning that fact from time to time. They must be rather disappointed in my letters otherwise because all I do is thank them for their gifts without ever telling them about things out here.
I'm glad to hear that you finally got some finally got some coal from Mr. Zizie. At least you had heat in the house for Christmas. This coal situation should be a lesson to us. Now, when we build our house or houses, we will have them fired up with oil heat, coal heat, gas heat and electric heat so that no matter what happens we will be insured against having to have a cold house. There isn't any kind of weather which is quite as bad and miserable to live in as severe winter cold.
So-long, /s/ Roman