Sgt Roman F. Klick 36620923
HS 1393 Engr APO 709
c/o PM SF Cal
24 July 1944

Dear Aunty Clara,

Monday, On my birthday, Somewhere on Guadalcanal



Even the government gave me a birthday present today by issuing an order allowing us to say we are on this island. That is just like it was down in New Caledonia although there it came along about Christmas time or thereabouts that the censorship restriction was lifted from the name of our place.

Five V-mails arrived today. Three of them were from you dated one the 16th and two the 17th. Two others were V-mail, handwritten, birthday greetings from Marty and Virginia and from Marvin. The one from Marvin had on it, "Hello! --- Happy Birthday Uncle Roman! Marvin", while the one from Marty and Virginia said "Hi! --- Many Happy Returns of the day! Happy Birthday! Marty and Virginia".

So Aunty Florence still doesn't like it at Western Electric. That is too bad. Just what is the trouble? Maybe she ought to try some job at Rathborne, not in the box factory but maybe as the mail girl or the clerk in the planning office keeping track of the production records as I did. Heinei and Joe Videk were smart fellows to quit that place at Ackermann's although they had begun to look like fixtures around the joint. If Henry didn't get Joe Videk's place, who did get it?

I wonder how come I haven't received any mail from Pat for some time now? For a while there I was receiving letters from her without writing any and now it is just the other way around. I wonder if my two typewritten letters had anything to do with it. If it had, she is crossed off the list as of now. But we shall see what time will tell. The grass skirt I sent her is the natural straw color of dried grass. It is possible to get colored skirts but they are definitely not native (even though I doubt the authenticity of the grass skirts they do sell) for the designs on the colored skirts are such things as American flags and American eagles. In other words, those Guadalcanal Kanakas have good business heads and are capitalizing on the American tourists which are about all the soldiers are.

Fingerhut's bakery store is quite independent when they can just close up shop for a week and give everyone a vacation. I suppose that in these times it is rather difficult to get substitute workers while each person takes a vacation by turn and that it is more practical for everyone to take off at the same time; yet, I can't imagine anything like that happening should they have any competition at all from neighboring bakeries which they do not seem to have.

The way I figures it, I now owe letters to nine people, namely, Mr Gonzalez, Mrs Boyer, Mrs Reed, the Michalaks, George P., Blumenfeld, Harvey Beaumont, Anita and Uncle Jack with still another letter due to the Bernetts whom I haven't heard from for some time now. Whether I will get them finished by tonight is doubtful but I will finish the most important ones and that is for sure.

Incidentally, now that the restriction is off concerning our island, I'll be able to tell you about our radio programs more in detail. Had I told you then before, I'm afraid it wouldn't have gone thru for even though you wouldn't have tied up the station to the island, it might have been possible. Just for example, they act as if it is a large network of studios, stations etcetera and call it the Guadalcanal Radio Station on the Mosquito Network. Then they will say, "We now take you to our main studios" pause a moment and then continue talking from the same mike in the same room.

So-long,   /s/ Roman   Roman