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Sgt Roman F. Klick 36620923
HS 1393 Engr APO 75
c/p SF Cal
21 Aug 45

Dear Aunty Clara,

Tuesday

There was no mail again today except for my receiving one more CCCR from Blumenfeld. I don't call that mail. I suppose tomorrow or the next day I'll receive four or five V-mails to make up for the mail-less days.

And another thing, I did not go to school this evening as planned. Mainly on account of Hipp. I can see now that he isn't a very dependable fellow. H&S didn't have a truck going down tonight for the driver was out of town so at about six-thirty we had a rush call that there was a truck waiting for us in front of battalion headquarters. Hipp was not there when I got there so I told the driver to stop at C Company for him but the fellow just drove right on into the highway. At that point I said I wanted out so he stopped the truck, I jumped off and headed back to camp. Then I discovered Hipp had decided not to go to school and hadn't informed any of us about his decision.

I was stuck then, John Wright came up and wanted to know where the truck was and he determined to hitch-hike to school since the truck had departed. I felt I would see Burkholder and ask him what he was going to do. He wasn't going to go and by that time it was ten minutes to seven and impossible to get down on time unless flying in a P-38 so I myself called it quits.

What did I do then, why I came up to the office and began gathering all my pictures together to send home. I never will complete that album and I've got altogether too many pictures on hand now. Furthermore, since I'll be home within ten months or so, there is no longer any need for me to keep so many pictures for I'll see everyone first hand. I've saved the following pictures as being my choice as the best: Rosana sitting in the chair with you looking intently through the looking glass; you and Aunty Florence strolling hand in hand down the sidewalk in front of the house (both of you smiling extra good); you cutting the birthday cake; and Uncle Jack in front of the hedges. Along with those in my little picture holder are (1) you and I walking in front of the house during my furlough (2) Aunty Florence and I (3) the Mother's Day picture I snapped of you looking out of the dining room window (4) the picture of us on the settee taken November 13, 1942 (5) Clarence Boyer (6) that's all. That completes the pictures I like the best and therefore have given a place of honor in the little black picture holder. The rest of the pictures go home for safekeeping.

Also tonight I got around to mailing out the book "Hurricane" which I promised to mail to you as long ago as the summer of 1943 and never did. It is an excellent book and I hope that you will read it for I'm sending it home for no other purpose than that. I was going to send home an army institute course on Business Correspondence but decided against it and ended up by giving it to Lynd who says he can make good use of it.

Ebner just now came back from school and by golly if he hasn't got the identical text book for his Psychology course as I had in Junior College. I'm wondering about him now. He has repeatedly said he took 6½ years of college psych and that course he has now is the most elementary and general psychology you can get in college. All the fellows got the text books and for free too. That alone is worth going to the school for.

Anyhow, now for a resume of the day's activities. I didn't do much of anything. After the morning reports and allied work in connection with morning reports was finished, I began making a general clearance of my desk and the papers in it. Then I wrote a very small article for the new paper because Jack needed a fill in on the page. After that I read a couple of magazines as I was given all the officers magazines (army issue through the mail) to hold for Lt Suiter and I took advantage of the job by browsing through the ones I had not already seen. Then I had to read the Daily Pacifican, talk to Arnalfo, Pedro, and Leo, the Flips who work in the office. I gave Arnalfo the cribbage game because I know very well I'll never be playing that game at home.

Those Flips have an obsession in wanting to go to Japan with the Allied Forces and claim it is educational and cultural. That is in spite of the fact that they are all married and either have children or are expecting them (as in Arnalfo's case). Arnalfo talked the situation over with his wife and she said he could go, if he felt that he could leave her. Naturally the way she put it made it impossible for him to press the point further.

The disconcerting news continues to come from Japan that there is deep resentment on the part of some military leaders over Japan's surrender and that perhaps they will act up when MacArther's men land for the occupation. Another thing is the way the Japs continue to use a two-faced propaganda. One story they beam to the Allies and another to the Asiatic mainland. O well, before the ten days MacArthur gives for occupation and surrender, we shall see how things are going to turn out.

Those bananas I ate last night and then again this morning in lieu of a breakfast have upset my stomach considerably and I had cramps (slight in nature) all the day long and even now as I write this. Nothing unbearable but nevertheless bothersome. I still had quite a few bananas left this evening at four-thirty but didn't have the heart to eat them although I would have enjoyed doing so (until they reached the stomach) so instead I passed them out to the fellows in my tent and to Lewis and Sackett in the next tent.

I don't know whether I am going to get any of the pictures out this evening or not but I will try. Also I want to send you the stuff Blummy sent me on the Pentagon building and etcetera down in New Caledonia.

There will be several pictures among the ones I am sending home which you have never seen before but of which I merely told you about at the times I received them from various people.

The Fifth Manila Symphony Concert also began today but account of thinking we were going to go schooling we did not go to it. It contains some Strauss and a symphony by Schubert so should be good. It will last until the end of next week so we should have ample time to go.

Because my stomach isn't up to par I've forgone the nightly snack I have about this time. Now I suppose I won't be ale to fall asleep on account of because I'll have a growling stomach.

This is all for this evening as I'm running short on the conversation.

So-long,   /s/ Roman   Roman