21 May May 21, 1944

letter
from: Pvt George Shonkwiler
to: Mrs. Alice Shonkwiler
5 21 44 9 p.m. Sunday

Dear Alice and Ronnie,

Here it is[,] week-end not over[,] and I am just starting a letter to you and
nothing else done.  Yesterday afternoon I did my washing and then took my first
time swimming.  It was very nice and I had a slight sunburn.  Last night at
5:30 p.m. I was supposed to go on K.P. but bought off ($1.50) and went down to
the service club for dinner and saw a lousy show afterwards.  Today all day
K.P.[,] I finished at 5:30 p.m. and then went to [the] show again.  This time
saw Gary Cooper in "[The Story of ] Dr. Wassel" and that is really good.  See
it if you can.  Oh yes, I took a couple hours off from K.P. this morning to go
on sick call finally.  It was pretty much as I had expected.  They gave me some
sulfur liquid to put on it and said to come back if that doesn’t help and they
would send me to the hospital for observation or something.

page 2.
Well I can assure you that that is one thing I am not going to do very soon.
This heat is bad enough -- laying in a hospital where you have no chance to
escape any of it at all, is certainly not to my liking and I am not asking for
it.  I guess if I have stood it this long I can do it some more.

Didn’t receive any letters from you since Thursday until today -- and then what
a letter.  You can also lay it on kinda <? strong> when you get going strong.
As for money -- my dear -- I realize that you don’t have any too much even if I
do forget it sometimes and I know you are doing a swell job with what you have.
If some of my suggestions go over your head <? financially>  well then I guess
you will have to forget some of them.  However if you continue to drive the
car you will have to have the oil and grease changed for summer driving.  Also
the Prestone taken out.  Those gallon jugs in the garage that has reddish
looking liquid in them and smells like gasoline, is gasoline and was my "rainy
day gasoline", so you may use it

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as I probably won’t be having any driving rainy days very soon.

Now as for the new neighbors -- naturally it pays to be on good terms with your
neighbors if you can.  If you can’t then the next best thing is to have
absolutely nothing to do with them.  As I told you before, we were there first,
if they don’t like our children’s noise, our habits and manners then they can
get to hell out of there -- fast.

Now as for the packages.  You said you were going to send me a package  -- I
hadn’t received it yet so I just wanted to know what had happened to it -- you
needn’t get so huffy.  I did receive the two packages.  Thank you -- and also
the $10 check.  Thank you very much  -- I was getting my very low -- now I
will be able to get through the month.   I thought I had told you I had
received it but perhaps in my rush I forgot to do so.  Perhaps I am

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a little more and more like someone else pretty close to me I know.

I don’t know what we do this week but the rumor has it it is going to be a
pretty tough week.  We have a 9 mile speed march coming up very soon now.  This
may be the week I made last Saturday’s 5 mile hike with some little effort but
I did make it.  Five miles in 54 minutes -- and that just isn’t strolling.

The pictures were swell.  I liked the one of Ronnie sitting down and the two
of all of us together especially.  Try and get more film if you can as I have
taken a few down here and only have a couple shots to go and then I will be out.

Will send them if I ever get them developed.

Oh yes about house cleaning -- I know it will be nice when you get it all
cleaned up and all that but I wonder if it is worth killing yourself.  After
all, you know, it will just get dirty again.

So Ronnie sleeps with his Daddy now.  Well that’s pretty nice -- but I know how
it could be a lot nicer for both of you.

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As for Ronnie’s sister, I am still pulling for one of our own -- and soon.

I wish you would get in touch with Gladys as I would kinda like to know what
has happened there.  I can’t figure out why in hell they haven’t written me.
Did you ever call or write them after you were there?

How about using some of those "L" coupons for gas I left you.  After a while
they won’t be any good and then you will be really out of luck.  If you are
saving them for when I come home that’s fine, but I don’t think it is necessary
to save that many.  As for transferring your name to the title,  I believe I
told you send me the necessary blanks and I would sign them.  I don’t know what
else I am I can’t do about that -- do you?

Now I think I have just about answered all your questions, replied to all your
complaints had counseled you in all your troubles and griefs -- at least I have
sort of tried.  Do you feel

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any better?  Anyhow it’s time for lights out and I still have to shower --
shave and a few other small details before retiring so you will have to be
satisfied a little for one night.  I hope you were able to get the screens up
O.K. and if you were I think you are quite a woman.  Of course I think that
anyway but this just proves it a little more.  But at that you had to have
help.

So Ronnie old boy you are already having trouble with our new neighbors.  Well
I don’t suppose it will be the last trouble you’ll ever get into.  Just don’t
make it too bad.  And just remember this is still a free world regardless of
the many narrow-minded people who do live in it.  And some of them will never
appreciate the fact that there has to be children in this world and they
probably will never appreciate the fact that many of these children’s Daddies
are away not by their own choosing --  making it possible for these same
narrow-minded people going on being narrow-minded and very very small.

<? Pitty> night now.

With lots of love,
Daddy