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Sgt Roman F. Klick 36620923
HS 1393 Engr APO 73
c/p SF Cal
24 May 1945

Dear Aunty Clara,

This is another trick way of writing a letter. I'm doing it by moonlight out under the open sky. It is a good thing I can do the touch system at writing because I almost went blind trying to write the name and addresses in the moonlight. Of course, you can see now that we have our new APO and altho I am saying it, it is useless to state, that from now on that will be my address and you will send all letters to it. As I am sitting here, I have a little boy along side of me. He is about He claims he is ten years old but he certainly doesn't look it. He is entertaining himself with a tonette I gave him and showed him how to hold to get the tones out of it. Since we do not know what censorship regulations may be in force at this new station of ours, I will have to restrict myself to general topics. Of course, as it always has turned out in the past, we are going through the rough process of beginning a new camp. Norona and I have our tents pitched together and Lewis and Sackett are next to us with their tent. You see, we are not with the rest of the company because Captain Cook wanted someone around at all times to guard the headquarters and personnel boxes and typewriters. In fact, that is how come it has been so convenient for me to sit here pounding this letter out. There should be loads and loads of things to talk about within the next few days and weeks for nothing is so interesting and full of activity as setting up a new campsite.

But as I began this letter, telling you about the little boy sitting here alongside of me, I do not believe that it is against rules to say that we have finally hit civilization once again and after those long long months on that deserted rock, it is a welcome sight for sore eyes. House, stores, people and of course beautiful women.

The prices of the souvenirs seem to be pretty low and I will try to get several souvenirs such as purses, moccasins, and hats and then send them home. They are pretty good too and would be nice to even wear during the summer months back home. That is why I am going to try to get some immediately to send home. I will send Pat just one or two of them because she doesn't cotton to this sending of gifts by her admirers whom she has not accepted.

The next few days are going to be exceptionally busy on account of because the payrolls are due to go in if we want to get paid at all this month and I for one must get busy on those officer pay vouchers and on the Medical Detachment payrolls which I was not able to do aboard boat on account of because we ran out of first sheets.

The fellows are beginning to hit the hay so I guess this one letter will have to be sufficient for today. In short order they will be telling me to cut out the racket. You know, I must be very easily satisfied for I liked everyplace I've ever been and even liked this last boat ride. Now, with what little I've seen of this new place, I like it.

I was with the delayed party in getting off the boat because we had to stick with the records. And by golly that was alright. We didn't have to wear any of our equipment or carry our duffle bag as they went right with the rest of the stuff. That is the way to get off of a boat, not loaded down with all that gear so you sweat bloody murder for a couple of hours. In the time we were waiting, Osis and I played some five hundred rummy. Did I mention the fact to you that yesterday afternoon we got to playing that game and continued on into the evening until it was too dark to see the cards on deck. I accidentally won the first game and then the next two I just played dumb cards all the game through and he won both of them. However by that time, I was once more catching on to it and I not only won the last two games yesterday to take them three to two but also today, I won all the games we played and on one, I hit the 500 mark right square on the head.

Jimmy Osis is the Company Clerk of Company B as you undoubtedly know from my past references concerning him and how Jack Molyneaux brought him up to take his place. Well, he is about 28 or 29 years old and looks a lot younger mainly because of his small bones and his small stature. He is much shorter than I am and you know that I never did become a giant. Anyhow, Osis, or Jimmy as he likes to be called, comes from Hasting, Michigan where he and his uncle were in the roofing business. He spent a four year hitch in the three C's as, of all things, a Company Clerk. No small wonder he fitted right into the job and is the best clerk we have in the office today.

He is about the only man in the Battalion who consistently calls me Ro or Roman and scarcely ever does he refer to me by the name of Klick. So much for meeting him. Since he and I talked quite a bit aboard boat and played those games of cards, thus getting to know each other even better than we had known each other heretofore, I felt he deserved an introduction.

My sun helmet was carried all the way up from the old place intact with but one slight bump near the top which is barely noticeable. In fact, I walked off the boat wearing it, which is highly unorthodox since the usual uniform is a helmet. Bill Grauel scarcely will talk to us anymore since he wasn't on the office force while aboard boat and he missed that nice after promenade deck with the cool breezes, the shaded places to lie down and sleep, right near the ship's store and then getting to debark in style. He had to remain with the boys in the hold and it is a bit crowded.

O, o, my little boyfriend said goodnight and thanked me for the tonette. He was very polite about it. He offered it back to me when he finished playing it and when I told him it was his, he said "Thank you". Another funny thing is that the natives yell to us, "Hi ya Joe" meaning of course, GI Joe but that is what we used to call the natives of the last island we were on as we would go down the road. So the joke is that we were on that rock so long of a time that we look like the Joes over there. Naturally, the natives do not mean it in that sense at all and we know it. They are extremely friendly.

I did more gabbing this evening than I thought I would and no one has thrown a shoe at me yet.

So-long,   /s/ Roman   Roman