Cpl Roman F. Klick 36620923
Co "A", 353rd Engr Regt
A.P.O. #502, c/o Postmaster
San Francisco, California
September 29, 1943

I did write to both Anita and Aunt-Aunt: so for the first time in I don't know how long, I have caught up with my letter writing. Now if the return letters will only dribble in one at a time so that I can answer them as they come, everything will be honky-dory. But what will undoubtedly happen will be to have five or six come in one day and then a few more the following day. It sure does feel grand to have a clear conscience.

Your letter of the 17th arrived this day and I got it at the noon mail call. At the rate Anna is going, she will never find just what she wants. After all, how many people, when they are flat hunting find the ideal things? Besides, she will only move out of where ever she does move to within a few months time anyway so why so particular, eh?

Did I ever tell you that the cows around this Island are similar to the ones which my Dad used to run into? Yes, they have the very same habit of wandering out into the middle of the roads and staying there even when automobiles are coming. Should the cars ever hit a cow and kill it, it would cost the driver $40 and the owner of the cow would keep the carcass on top of it.

There are some mighty queer noises going on in our tent along about the time I am ready to go to bed. For one thing, Burkard is continually twisting and turning and it is a miracle that he doesn't wake himself up. Mersing is always groaning, mumbling or talking in his sleep while Edie has developed the terrible habit of grinding his teeth like I used to do. What kind of idiosyncrasies I have is hard telling since I've never stayed up to find out as the old joke goes. Censky is still out working when I go to bed; therefore, I can't give you any dope in that direction.

The Reveille Rush is really getting to be quite an event. The minute Sgt Driscoll gives the word "Dismiss" after roll call, just about half the company lunges forward as if from a starting post and converges on the kitchen door. They sound out, rattle mess kits and all but break their bones trying to be the first in line. The platoon sergeants and Sgt Driscoll who must stand out in front of that thundering herd should be awarded some sort of medal for bravery in action.

The generator at the place up the Island just isn't there so today I got myself a holiday. Starting Friday, however, we will no longer show at that outfit for a period of one month during which time we will bring the movie machine to another outfit. Some of the pictures on the new schedule are: "Andy Hardy's Double Life", "Moontide", and "The Woman of the Year." It seems that the pictures are getting to be older ones right along but they are the better ones of the old pictures.

Larry has three days off as he celebrated his New Year. He is going to go into town for services quite a bit during the next few days. He showed me one of the scripture books he had and, quite naturally, it was very familiar material since it was the Old Testament (part of both the Jewish and Catholic religions). What was most amusing since it was the first time I had seen anything like it, was the form of the book. It actually was printed backwards with the back cover as the front over. To open it the book had to be held in reverse than one ordinarily opens a book.

Like Blumenfeld left H&S Company for the Island Command in town so too, is a man from A Company. Best of all, he is going to the Headquarters Company in which Sgt Matcha is in. I double if I will ever get to see this Matcha because I don't seem to get into the burg very often and when I do, like in the case of Blumenfeld, the man you want to see is never around.

I have to work on that man's transfer now so that it will be ready to leave with him tomorrow morning. It is now fifteen minutes to suppertime and I will have just sufficient time to do it in.

So-long,
/s/ Roman
Roman