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

I was in bed well before eleven o'clock last night and then was able to take a short nap between 7 and 7:30; so I figure I am fairly well recuperated from the all night siege of the night before.

The payroll is now completed including the signing and ready to hand in. After the way Lt Yantis rushed me to get them out by this afternoon (away back in the middle of November he said he wanted them in by the tenth and then he moved the date up until the ninth), he wasn't around at all so they will be held over until tomorrow.

Two items came in the mail today. Both were Daily Newses dated one the 2nd and the other the 5th of November. Jack M laughed himself sick Sunday when he received nine items of mail to jump seven ahead of me. After the tally was in for today, he no longer was laughing because we are all tied up.

There was quite a bit of work on docket today and the day's end doesn't see much of it cleared up. I spent the afternoon typing out laundry rosters etcetera and tomorrow I'll have to get busy typing up three separate rosters of the company for the company and making various entries in the Service Records (such as the last paid remark we make after a payroll is done, the record of the Asiatic-Pacific Ribbon having been issued and now the fact that we were issued our Good Conduct Ribbon).

Yes Sir, it is a beauty - a red background with three white stripes on each end. I'm not so sure I want to send this one home right away because everyone doesn't have one of these and maybe I can wear it once in a while. Jack M says that he has a spare which I will send to you if I get it from him. In fact, we just got the things about an hour ago, i.e., for distribution.

Earlier in the day I wrote or rather printed a V-mail to Aunty Florence. Later on tonight I will most likely get at answering the letters again. Four or five more will knock off the remaining ones.

The show is going to be held in the remodeled big tent which still has spots in it which have to be fixed up. But as it is now there will be room for quite a few more people than heretofore.

The laundry came back at last but they played a dirty trick on my socks. They sent back four pair alright just as I had marked but three socks were brown cotton and five of them were white wool which means I lose one wearable pair.

1st Lt Maack received his promotion to Captain today. He is a very young fellow probably not much older than myself and he is the Regimental Adjutant and works in the Regimental Tent next door to ours. He is indirectly our boss because according to the books the Regimental Adjutant is above the Personnel Adjutant.

Boy, thanks again Aunty Clara for the candy which was part of the two presents you and Aunty Florence sent to me for Christmas. It must have taken you all night to wrap identical pieces of candy in one piece of waxed paper. It makes it a lot better eating two, three or four of a kind than to have a varied conglomeration.

The company painters have painted our mess hall green on the inside and it looks like one of the cheaper type restaurants you find in the big cities.

We had trouble with the goat all day today. He was persistent in coming in to the office time and time again. Once he leaped onto the table and then the box on top of the table. Each time Mike grabbed him by the horns and yanked him out of the tent. Finally we made a sign with "Goldenberg " in big letters and hung it on the billy goat's back. Then we took the goat to 1st sgts call where everyone had a big laugh but 1st Sgt Goldenberg who was the goat.

So-long,   /s/ Roman   Roman