57

Camp White, Oregon
24 February 1943

Dear Aunty Clara:

You tell me that you received four of my letters all at the same time. That is what I would call screwy delivery. Of course, I realize what the situation amounts to; but all the same it is nutty to see some of the things that happen to the mails. Just for example, I received both your Saturday letter and your Monday letter this morning.

That gal better start writing me an answer to the deluge of mail or I'll show her --- I'll stop writing. See how she'll like that. Hey, what am I saying.

Another Reader's Digest should arrive here in camp within a day or so because some of the other fellow's have already received their copies. I hope my A.P.O.address hasn't gone into effect with them already. If things keep running along like they are now, I will be able to polish that book off during working hours. Do you think it is a good idea to send them home? What I mean is do you people get to read it?

Somehow, I have a hunch that Bennie isn't going to be that unlucky and go across so soon. You see, he belongs to a training camp and the fellows from there are sent as fillers to regiments such as the 353rd after they have completed their basic training. This outfit was unique in the fact that it began with raw recruits. Still it could be that what you say might happen,

Did I tell you that the latest rumor is that our crates were stenciled incorrectly and are being restenciled. That all takes time and is supposed to have pushed our date of departure back a few more weeks. That's o.k. with us, isn't it?

Aunty Florence seems to be having more and more of those 'not feeling so good' spells. What is the reason? Maybe she ought to do a little more 'gold. bricking' (that's what the Army calls people who take off from work and rest themselves up).

Outside of a letter I owe Aunty Florence, another that is due Eleanor Angsten and a third to the Bernetts (oh yes, and the Reeds), I haven't much of a backlog of unanswered letters. Those letterless days are no longer rarities. I miss every second or third day now. On those days I suppose my A. P. 0. chalks up another score. That may be alright for the time being as it relieves me from the responsibility of answering so much mail; but how is it going to feel having about twenty or so letters dumped into your lap all at once for answering? The reading of them will be swell but the answers ----- OUCH!

Gee, I'm glad you managed to get a peek at that eclipse. Just think, we were two thousand miles apart but yet observed the very same phenomenon.

We had our laundry returned today and my O.D.shirt came out fairly well. I can now place the other shirt which still has the cleaner's press in it back on the rack until we are ready to depart. From the looks of things we will be wearing khakis out of here instead of O.D.s. And maybe we will turn our overcoats in instead of our blouses. Wouldn't that look like something wearing overcoats in the summertime?

That is pretty good about Marty's nephew being a Company Clerk. Now he has a nephew and a cousin at the same job. Nyalka says that when we get overseas the sergeant rating is easy to get for the clerks. That would mean another $12 a month and an extra overseas bonus of $3.

That was unusual plus to have heard Marty's nephew on that radio program. Small world, eh?

You don't mean that you were sleeping when you forgot about the rationing of canned goods. What you meant to say was that you weren't on the ball. It is too bad though that you couldn't do a little hoarding in advance the way they suggested. I suppose Jennie is still well stocked up with that type of commodity, n'-est-ce pas, ma chere tante?

* * * * * *

I just went out with Johnson over to Post Headquarters to get an OCS blank.

* * * * * *

Now you will probably receive this letter a day later than otherwise because I tried to finish it before I went over to the Post Office (the hospital, Post Office, Headquarters are all together) so I could mail it at that time; but now it will go out later.

We (that is, Johnson, the mail clerk, Kutulis, his assistant, Whaley, the fellow that looks like George, and I) rode over in a weapons carrier. They are even better than jeeps. They have two seats in front and then an open truck in the rear with bench seats running along the side (inside). The seats, unlike the jeeps, have an unholstering job.

The pockets of my shirts are kept in a very unsanitary manner. In the left hand pocket I have stuffed such items as a list of items which go into an A barracks bag and items which go into a B barracks bag, my photo album, an envelope filled with pictures which couldn't find room for themselves in the album, a black notebook with blank pages and another memorandum note. In the right hand pocket are such items as the little G. A. Ackermann notebook, another blank notebook I got from Chester Evans at Rathborne, a pair of scissors, two fountain pens, an eversharp, a spare collar pinner downer which you and Aunty Florence sent, a postcard, a clipping and an envelope of spare pictures.

As I am typing this at 2:30 in the afternoon with only three or four other people in the office. I hear the sounds and shouts of our regiment coming from the athletic where they are holding their meet.

That Army Institute course has attracted quite a bit of attention and now Blumenfeld, his Jewish friend, Simonoff (T/Sgt in R.S.0.) and a half a dozen other fellows have decided to take a course.

I notice you are addressing my envelopes to Co. A 353rd Engineers and then Personnel Section. It would be better to address it this way:

Cpl Roman F Klick 36620923
Personnel Section
353rd Engineers
Camp White
Oregon

Don't pay too much attention to what I put as my return address because, as you probably have noticed, I vary its form from day to day as it suits my fancy. When we get overseas, however, and our company may go off by itself for a spell then you can put Company A all over the envelope. I don't know whether it is required on an A.P.O. address or not.

/s/ Roman