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

Dear Aunty Clara,

Sunday



The time now is exactly eight-thirty in the evening and, although this isn't the first bit of productive correspondence of the day, it is the first letter to you. To be exact, this is the first letter of the day although I have ten V-mail forms ready to be sent out. I'll enumerate. There are three birthday cards among the ten forms and then copies of the following letters: Eleanor (2 pages), Aunt-Aunt, Myrtle, Mrs Boyer, Bob Hesser and Pat. I've already described the birthday card to Aunt-Aunt which is copied from one of my cards and pictures several water lilies. The one to my Dad is also copied from a magazine and is a picture of a rooster crowing out the words Happy Birthday. The third one, to Mrs Reed, is the only one which I did not copy but drew free hand although I got the words and the idea from the birthday card Aunty Lillie sent to me.

I had intended to answer all the letters this afternoon but I was out riding and couldn't do both things at the same time. In fact, it is lucky that I did manage to get so many out as it was for bright and early at 6:30 --- even before eating breakfast --- I was down there in the Motor Pool trying to get some transportation. It was no soap at 6:30, at 8:00 and at 10.00; therefore, instead of merely waiting around for transportation I began working on my correspondence. Finally, at one o'clock in the afternoon, Edie called me up and said that a Command Car was finally available and I hot-footed it down to the Motor Pool in less than it takes to tell about it.

Then I went up to get the fellows, they were all gone off on another party so I had to look around for customers and ended up with Elmer Solomon. Incidentally, before I go any further about the trip, I want to tell you that Elmer was the fellow whose name was censored from the letter in the days before we could say we were on Guadalcanal. Lt Suiter was unfamiliar with the names of the men in the company and must have thought I was trying to tell you something whereas you know as well as I do that I knew Elmer back in Camp White long before we ever dreamed of coming to this part of the world. Now to continue, we just rode along on a sightseeing tour and really did get in on something good this time for we picked up a party of fellows and took them right to their camp along quite a scenic road over which neither of us had traveled heretofore. Then, coming back, we picked up some other fellows all along the road and finally ended up at the Service Center but couldn't get any cokes or anything since it was already closed up for the afternoon and wouldn't open again until some time in the evening. Right on the dot, I wheeled up the hill and parked the Command Car so that Bellin, the fellow in S-3 could take off with it to go on his "recreation" which means going to a chapel at four-thirty each Sunday and then driving around afterwards.

The day was dusty as anything and I feel filthy right now as I have not taken a shower since returning. I need a haircut and with the dirt already in it and the bugs flying around this office make me feel as if I had the cooties. Right now it is raining outside and that makes me more than glad I didn't resist to temptation and go to the movies. I really was going to see "Alexander's Ragtime Band" over again but since I wasted this afternoon riding about, I decided to stay in this evening. Then they were going to have "None Shall Escape" at the Seabees and I was tempted to go there but somehow I managed enough reserve will power tonight to hold myself back. Our show over here is just about over and the fellows are coming in --- soaked to the skin in spite of their raincoats and hats.

I'm not any too sure that I am going to get much letter writing done besides writing this letter and one other to you for soon we will have to stop doing everything, turn the lights out and listen to that radio thriller --- Suspense.

Speaking of the radio reminds me of one of the latest crazy introductions to the Atabrine Cocktail Hour. Tonight they took us "Hi Atop Hotel Le Gink in the heart of downtown Guadalcanal".

Today's mail delivery was all V-mail and of the sum total I received two of them both from you dated the 28th and 30th. If you ever did tell me about Agnes Vasek, I don't remember it and it was somewhat of a shock to hear that she had died. She was old before her time but a person didn't think that she would be dying before her time too. Whether she knew it or not, she certainly did provide the three of us with quite a bit of laughter with her curious ways and naīve sayings.

Those blue and orange flowers which you bought are Morton Junior's colors. By the way, I noticed that you finally desisted from that tiresome process of printing out the address at the top of each and every V-mail. So long as it is legible, I see no reason why it can't be written out instead of typed. I sure do receive enough letters with that address written out and I never print it anymore myself anymore when I do handwrite a letter in V-mail. The purpose is so that there will be no cause for error after the form is put into its reduced size and a person is certainly intelligent enough to know when his writing is good enough to be read by others. Incidentally, you still write out more of the address than is necessary. You needn't write Const Bn after Engr for plain Engr is sufficient on the address.

The Hurt fellow who I knew was neither George nor John Hurt but rather Henry Hurt. You may not be able to sleep in my bed and be comfortable because of that "hard" mattress but I think that it is going to be entirely too "soft" for me upon my return. I do not notice the hardness of an army cot but I know that when I was on furlough, the bed at home seemed very soft at that time so you can imagine what the difference will be like now.

Perhaps I will not write letters to Pat, Eleanor and Mrs Boyer for I want those letters to be good letters and I believe that tomorrow I will --- oh no, not with the Bob Hope show around. Gosh, I don't know what to do. I don't want to remain up past eleven o'clock yet I will not have time to write any letters that would be worthwhile in such a short time. What will be comparatively simple to knock off is an answer to Bob Hesser, another note to Aunt-Aunt and possibly a note to Myrtle. Then again I may not write anything which is the most likely to happen. By the way, with V-mail service being so excellently lately, I believe I will wait a day or so before sending out those birthday cards but on second thought that isn't a good idea at all for just when a person counts on that split second timing, something is sure to go wrong.

Our meals were quite good all day long and at noon we had ice cream, cake and lemonade for dessert and for drink.

When it rains as hard as it is raining tonight, our barracks is flooded and the beds have to be moved around to get them out of the way of rain drops. The office used to be that way until just yesterday when a real good job of tarring and caulking was done and we are now snug as bugs in rugs. Well, here comes a pause while we listen to --- Suspense.

Brrrrr! Those Suspense stories are really becoming the spine tingling dramas of the old Lights Out days. They have hit stars on these shows as I have mentioned previous to this and this evening's performance had Ida Lupino in it.

Gosh, I just can't think of anything to say all of a sudden like. I know for sure now that this is the last letter of the day. Perhaps it is just as well that I do not write tonight or tomorrow night but rather after I see Frances Langford, Bob Hope et al for then I will have some material to fill up my letters to other people with. I remember last year in one of Pat's first letters to me she asked me about seeing all those movie stars and now for the first time since Lanny Ross, I can actually say that a top flight bunch of stars did come out here. I'm still not counting on being even close enough to see them for we have to stay in the company area after work and will not be able to get down there until after supper at which time every seat in the house will most likely be packed.

If I drink any milk this evening it will be after the shower, come to think of it, I am in the mood for a glass of the water plus powder plus malt just before hitting the hay.

So-long,   /s/ Roman   Roman