Sgt Roman F. Klick 36620923
HS 1393 Engr APO 709
c/o PM SF Cal
16 July 1944
Hello Bob,
Sunday
Thanks a lot for the letter. I was going to answer you last night but, by golly, if I didn't become interrupted by no less than my first chess game in a dog's age. It wasn't much of a game as games go for it was so long since I played that it was rusty through and through. However, the other fellow --- works in the office too --- didn't play such a bang up game either and we used one of those miniature boards even smaller than the one which I own. I won the game but I wouldn't call it much of a victory for I had only lost a horse and a bishop which was compensated by the fact that I queened one of my pawns. The game was played much by rules alone, you know how that is, just by the knowledge of the games purpose plus knowing how to move each piece. There was a singular lack, on both our parts, of any chess strategy or even minor planning. And chess strategy, when it goes to a point where one is planning moves far ahead of the present one, is what makes the game.
After the chess game ended sometime at twelve o'clock at night, the whole lot of us fellows took off for the movies. You see, we have one show within a short distance of our camp that runs two performances. One is at the regular time in the early part of the evening and the other is called the Midnight Show but it almost always begins after twelve-thirty. We can afford to go to it on Saturday nights for our Sunday morning sleep is unlimited. Occasionally, we will go to one of those late shows during the week when we hear that it is particularly good but we pay for it by being half groggy from lack of sleep the next day.
But you lived quite an exciting life too with your car going up in flames, eh? Burning gas can give the impression that quite an area is burning, yet, as was your good fortune, only minor damages resulted from the blaze. Did you have fire insurance on your car? In the good old days when cars were easy to get, it would be more profitable to let the darn thing burn itself out and then buy a new car with the insurance money.
Did you hear the news about Marie Volenec? She has been married. That came as quite a surprise to the Rathbornites and the ex-Rathbornites for she never even hinted as to such possibilities. Her husband is or was a soldier so wasn't around very much during the engagement days. Other than that one item, the news on the working front seems to have quieted down a bit.
There is one thing, Bob, which I am going to make certain of and that is before this war is over, I'm going to sit down for about a month or so and really work at that chess game so that when resumption of our chess feud takes place, we won't be handicapped by my rustiness.
Please write when you find the time. Good luck and good health to you and yours.
So-long,
Roman