Sgt Roman F. Klick 36620923
HS 1393 Engr APO 709
c/o PM San Francisco, California
27 June 1944

Dear Aunty Clara,

Tuesday



After finishing that last letter, I had to stop writing for it was impossible to do so with the numerous and varied interruptions and diversions on all sides of me. Right now the radio is just going off the air and there are only two fellows remaining in the office --- Ebner, the Charge of Quarters, and Marino, the bugler. Perhaps now I will be able to get this letter out in a jiffy. For one thing, during the interim between letters I did spend some time polishing up my mess equipment with Jerry Angert's "blitz-cloth" which surprisingly enough does a very good job in cleaning up the rough spots and making the thing sparkle for fair. Of course, now I'll have to give the mess gear an especially good washing tomorrow morning with soap and water before I'll be able to eat out of it for right now it must be literally surfaced with this stuff that does the trick of polishing it so.

Here goes on answering your letters as time will allow. The Loop is always warmer, as you mentioned, not only in the summer time but as well as in the winter time. I remember many times when I left Rathborne and it was snowy, icy, cold and very wintery down that way yet when I got into the Loop, the temperature seemed to have risen, there was little if any snow visible and all that. In the summer time, on the other hand, the lake front is comparatively cool and the Loop is a scorcher. That almost laughs away that idea that the Lake has such a tremendous affect upon the Chicago weather when it doesn't help the Loop itself any and it is less than a mile or so away from it.

Your letter hoping that I be spared the inspections today came on the very day we get the announcement of the new campaign for more inspections.

Well, at least we have put in our bid for the grocery store and if circumstances after the war are such that it would be a good buy and one which we could afford, it would be one of the possibilities. However, if I were home and were to buy the store, it is a cinch that you wouldn't work in it at all except maybe to handle the customers for an hour or two during lunch or something like that but not as a steady clerk. The only reason I suggest it now is because there would be no other solution. I still think it is a good idea.

Say, I found out how come the V-mail from the islands out here goes home faster than the mail comes from the States here even if we do have to go thru the tedious process of censoring which holds up the mail from one to three days. The idea is that all airplanes and boats leaving from the war theaters are comparatively empty and most of the time are looking for cargo space whereas the ships coming from the states all have their holds and fuselages loaded down to the hilt and any added pound is excess baggage.

Incidentally, I'm not making any more promises which I can't or don't intend to keep like the one I made Pat the day before yesterday saying I would write the next day. From now on it will be "I'll write soon" and that is any where from the next day to never.

The office work was kind of lousy today for I didn't accomplish all the things which I had planned to do as other work came in. I'll try to make up for it tomorrow.

I'm in the mood for a nice malted milk right now but my spoon and my cup are both shining dirty so I guess I'll not have any after all.

So-long,
/s/ Roman
Roman