Cpl Roman F. Klick 36620923
Co "A", 353rd Engr Regt
A.P.O. #502, c/o Postmaster
San Francisco, California
24 October l943

In spite of the fact that I spent the afternoon cooling myself off in the water and getting rid of a previous day's perspiration and dirt; I still feel filthy. That is because for one thing I fell asleep on my cot in the sun just before suppertime and that sweated me up and then I had to splice the film and rewind it in that hot-box of a Projection Booth this evening and then run the show down in the big tent which was packed to the gills with soldiers. I'm almost in the mood to walk over and take a midnight shower although the water might be kind of cooled off by now.

The show was entitled "Moonlight in Havana" with Allen Jones, June Frazer and Marjorie Lord. It was an entertaining picture and went off smoothly in that there were no breaks in the picture other than the usual change of reels. Perhaps the most unique thing about the picture and one of the most humorous scenes was the dance by a couple dressed in evening costumes. It started off in Velos and Yolanda style but ended up being a comic version of graceful dancing.

Preceding the feature was that colored newsreel picture "At the Front in North Africa". The show was over by nine bells but there were quite a few who wanted to see the picture and had either come in late or had expected a second showing. Lt Yantis did the honors for them and cut the picture short by leaving out this part about North Africa.

Speaking of the war again, today's news was terrible. Several weeks back the optimistic bulletins had it that we were but 80 miles from Rome. Then they started to say 90 miles away and today's bulletin reads that in the 21 days since we captured Naples we have advanced but 21 miles and are 100 miles from Rome. At that rate it would take us well into next year to capture that city. When you hear news like that, a person thinks twice about all that loose talk about the war in Europe being practically over.

I sure do hope once again that the waxed paper wrapping you put on the mallow delights will keep them fresh during their trip across. The prime object is to seal the candies from the air and in addition to the waxed paper a strip of adhesive tape at the openings of the box and scotch tape over the outer covering of waxed paper would have helped tremendously. I hope I'm wrong about my worries that the candies will arrive a little bit dry.

What's this about a magnifying glass being enclosed with the hard candy? With all the assortment of things I am now collecting I'll have to get the Kotek Movers to help me move my things when we leave this Island. How come Rose was at the Bunco Party? I thought it was just for our four blocks or so? But you really made a profit on the deal didn't you? That must be beginner's luck winning two prizes like that in one evening, eh?

I got a kick out of you telling me that if you put up any more preserves this year, you will have to put them out in the front hall. That will be a good one to answer when guests ask what are in those boxes and you will have to tell them tomatoes.

Let's hope the Red Cross straightened you out on the problem because that is why I bothered writing to you so that it would not have originated from this end. I suppose that within the next few days I will find out definitely what action the Red Cross took, if any, and I will guide myself accordingly.

By the way, today reminded me a lot of the old candy eating days. All told I ate no less that 7, correction, 8 bars of candy today. Two peanut bars and six Zagnuts. These Zagnuts are going over big with the fellows and the reason probably is because they taste and chew like the three for a penny Mary Janes every child buys when he goes to the show.

So-long,
/s/ Roman
Roman