Cpl Roman F. Klick 36620923
Co "A", 353rd Engr Regt
A.P.O. #502, c/o Postmaster
San Francisco, California
7 September 1943

What I was wondering was whether Bennie likes his cold climate up in Attu as well as I am satisfied with my South Pacific Island. It's funny the way both of us were shipped out of the country so soon and so far away from home. Perhaps that is more common than we think. The reason it seems strange is because there are George Prokopecs, Tommy Mashos and Bobby Boyers still floating around inside the States.

I hope that you straightened out Aunty Florence's income tax problem satisfactorily so that it was reduced to the smallest legal amount. After all, the government expects you to take full advantage of the exemptions and reductions they offer or otherwise they wouldn't have them.

I did not know either of the fellows you mentioned from Cicero as being a Major and a Lt. in the Air Corps. I did know that this Ted Bartnick is one of the big automobile dealers.

Whether you write out the word Engineers or abbreviate it Engrs, the letters will still take as long or come as fast. That has nothing to do with delivery.

You don't ever have to worry about me being really crazy enough to go that far afield to pick a wife (Lana Turner) and especially one that has had a half a dozen husbands. When it comes to marrying, if ever, she will probably be some Cicero girl. Why Cicero? Well, it is so convenient to go out with a girl that lives close to home than one that lives at the other end of the city, chances are that I will wind up with someone within walking distance of the house. But then who is getting married. That's just an additional expense and worry. Life is full of enough troubles without tying oneself down with a wife.

I haven't the faintest idea how this Peck fellow takes care of his horse or what he feeds it. Probably he lets it out to pasture and then buys a bit of feed from the local farmers.

Didn't I explain that this blonde bombshell who walked into our office one day was the daughter of the man who owns our entire valley? She was visiting here as a guest of the Colonel and many times comes around as a guest of one of the single officers. Personally, I don't think too many soldiers are going to forget their sweethearts back home for any of the girls they may find out here. On the other hand, back in Oregon it was a common occurrence to see war time romances end in marriages.

In Dolores's letter she mentioned that she had just heard from Bennie so evidently you were right in that she just wasn't writing as long as she wasn't hearing from her man. And you were also right on her mail being slow. From the tone of her letter, she seems to have lost some of her frivolity and carefree air. I guess she is worried about Ben.

I thought it was unusual too for a regiment to celebrate its birthday but you have gathered by now that this is a very unusual regiment. I had also thought of it as a double birthday too.

If I were Anna, I would put my insurance money into United States War Bonds. They offer the best interest rates right now. That idea of hers to keep her bank accounts under the $5,000 mark is a good one because that is what I plan to do when I start counting my money in the thousands.

It's strange that Stack woke up in the middle of the night to die. I'll never forget the morning Jaja died. It seems that every little act from the time he called you into his room until the time you called me back from going to school that morning will remain vivid in my mind forever.

It's just before eleven now and just as always the end of the letter seems to be timed with the end of the chow line, the end of the day, or something like that.

So-long,
/s/ Roman
Roman