Sgt Roman F. Klick 36620923
HS 1393 Engr APO 709
c/o PM SF Cal
25 July 1944
Dear Aunty Clara,
Guadalcanal, Tuesday
The sun was out all day today and everything is dry once again; therefore, at four o'clock I was wearing my moccasins and have had them on ever since. They sure have evoked quite a few comments so far. People want to know where in the world I managed to get soles and heels on my moccasins and then I tell them from home. The fellows all like them and then the next thing they want to know is how you managed to get them with shoe rationing and coupons. Of course, that is a bit embarrassing when I have to tell them you and Aunty Florence had to give a coupon up for them. I sure hope you don't miss it too much because that is one thing I do not want you to do, and that is give up something on my account. This army is taking enough away from the poor civilians as it is.
We just came back from our semi-annual lectures and I am wondering whether my mail production is going to be limited to a mere two V-mails or not for that is all the forms I can seem to find around the office. The others are all locked up in the mail room where I can't get at them.
Something else which I noticed about Aunt-Aunt's letter and that was the stamps are placed over the return address of her shop so that she didn't have to take the trouble to line it out.
I've also finished another thirty some pages in the "Song of Bernadette" which has taken me up to and thru the "Vision". The story itself is nowhere as near as good as the picture was. Evidently the Hollywood writers and producers etcetera built that particular book up instead of spoiling it.
The Seabees are showing "How's About It" this evening but, because of the lecture tonight, a lot of fellows didn't go. Another reason is that not many fellows seem to have even heard of the picture before and no one is going to go down there for a 'pig in a poke'.
Interruptions, interruptions! I have just finished what turned out to be a three hour conversation with Douglas Leishman. He and I get along rather well now and in fact he has become a good company clerk and is well liked by everyone in the office, including Jack Molyneaux which is really saying something, for Jack's natural inclination is to dislike people instead of liking them. It is just about ten bells so you can see that I'm not going to get my other letters written this evening which sets me somewhat behind in my letter writing. But then too, I haven't but one more V-mail on hand anyway, I keep forgetting that. Doug and I talked about everything under the sun including the censorship of our mail.
It has long been a sore point that a person whom we work with every day has to censor the mail we send home and this letter and the other one I wrote today are being sent down to the company for censoring if the censors there will oblige. It is probably needless for me to tell you why a person would rather have someone not familiar with oneself censor the mail if it has to be censored for I have spoken of that many times in the past.
Just before Doug and I got to talking, I stopped writing this letter and knocked off another thirty pages in the "Song of Bernadette". The book is becoming a bit more interesting now.
I did have intentions of putting a bit of study into the Army Institute course this evening but account of because our conversation was of "vital major importance" and extended itself out for so long a time, all that will have to be skipped this evening.
Incidentally, last night in the barracks at eleven o'clock, the fellows sang "Happy Birthday to you" to me and I received both yesterday and today two birthday presents from Lewis. One was a candy bar and the other was a can of orange juice. I also got a lot of kidding with fellows asking if I was twenty-one now.
So-long, /s/ Roman Roman