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

This evening's picture was "Follow the Band" and although it wasn't a smash hit, it was fairly good entertainment. Especially so after the run of movies we have had in the last week. The picture was very short and there wasn't much of a story to keep it going but what made it go over was the music and the songs. Most of the action takes place in a New York Rendezvous where guest stars do a number when they come around. Leon Carroll was the owner, Skinny Ennis and his band were the performers. The guest artists were Frances Langford, Leo Carrillo, The King Sisters, a man singer, a quartet, The Bombardiers from the Ginny Sims program and some dark skinned lady comedienne called Hattie. At quarter to seven Captain Cook gave out with the new program of interpretation of the news which he must gleam from the pages of Time magazine. Then there were three shorts, one being a GI film which we all saw upon induction into this man's army concerning the safeguarding of military information.

It is rather late in the evening right now and it doesn't seem likely that I will be able to answer any other letters. Since the show I have been mainly engrossed in eating the goo which is supposed to be a Hershey candy bar and reading some of the magazines which have been laying around the office. One in particular had an exceptionally good article about the new Dodge Aircraft Engine plant in Chicago. According to the magazine article, the plant is now the largest one story building in the world and that it has more available floor space than any other building in the world including Merchandise Mart and the Pentagon building. I wonder what they are going to make in these gigantic plants at the end of the war?

Outside of reading and eating I have been busy slapping down those mosquitoes which are becoming larger than ever and bitier than ever these days. They have been eating me alive so far and I must have at least a dozen fresh bites over my arms and legs. That is the price I have paid for not using that lotion so that I could keep the after-shower-freshness. I'm putting on that lotion right now.

About that military police detail which I mentioned in the closing lines of this afternoon's letter. It consists of a Corporal and five men and since it was Headquarters Platoon turn to take it over, I was chosen for the job along with my cohorts. The beauty of it is that for such a small amount of time like an hour or so before the show which is generally wasted anyhow it is relatively unimportant who gets the job. Edie has been trying his level best to get under my skin for the last few days and when he found out that Larry was head of the detail, he asked Davis to change it and put me down. That is were the laugh came in because Edie was not on the original detail with Larry but he talked himself, Mersing, Burkard onto it by trying to get me. All the job consists of is to stand at the various entry-ways into the amphitheater area and see to it that all men have their uniforms buttoned and that they come in complete and proper dress. It doesn't mean anything really because the minute the fellows sit down in the crowd, they roll up their sleeves again and unbutton another button or two at the neck of their shirts. The whole thing started one day when a fellow from another outfit appeared in back of the stage without a shirt. He looked like a comedy because he was one of the fattest soldiers we ever saw. Anyway, the toss up was that the Colonel didn't like it and therefore the MPs.

I shouldn't have much trouble in answering the remaining four letters tomorrow providing I put my mind to it. Chances are though, that if I do get all them answered, the return letters from those I sent out a month ago will start coming in again to form another backlog of unanswered notes.

You know, I've completely forgotten about the can of peanuts I bought yesterday. That is the first time I've let something like that stand around for so long. So so-long,

/s/ Roman   Roman