26 Apr April 26, 1945

Letter
from: Mrs. G. Shonkwiler
to: Pvt George W. Shonkwiler
April 26, 1945
Thurs. midnight
Noteworthy: American public gets photos of Germany’s internment camps.

Darling,

Here I am burning that midnight oil again!  Guess I’m just a naughty girl, and
need you here to tell me when to go to bed.

Yesterday I worked myself to a frazzle, but today I haven’t accomplished a
thing.  First thing in the morning yesterday, after breakfast I finished my
ironing, then washed all the woodwork and windows in the bedroom, plus three
walls and woodwork and windows in the living room.  I was putting Ronnie to bed
when Murray walked in and he visited for about an hour, got all the latest dope
on your whereabouts, etc., then left.  As it was about 9:00 when he left, I
started to go on washing walls, when the Pages came down.  She used my machine
for some sewing and later I made coffee and we had sandwiches and some cookies.
By that time I was

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so sleepy I just couldn’t write, even to you.  Just before going to bed, I was
looking at the paper, and saw all these horror photos of prison camps in
Germany.  Piles of bodies, etc., and when I got to bed I lay awake for hours
just thinking of all I’d seen.  I also thanked God you were lucky enough to
escape these tortures.  I think I’d go out of my mind if you were a prisoner at
this time.  The stories just don’t seem possible, but guess they are as they’re
s’posedly eye-witness accounts.  Is it possible, Wes, that it is all true?
Seems almost fantastic.

I was all set this morning to wash walls again, but Muriel called this morning
and said she’d be right out to see me, so that accounts for my relaxing today.
I don’t feel so bad, so perhaps it’s a good thing she was here.  She’s

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been in Appleton, Wis. for the past three weeks with her sister, and just came
back, and is again looking for a job on the North side.  I did do a little
sewing this afternoon, and also a bit of grocery shopping this morning.  The
meat market had nothing but fish today, so as much as I despise it, I had to
eat fried perch for lunch.  Luckily Muriel likes fish, so it was O.K. in that
respect.  After some persuasion he did sell me a couple slices of "Army reject"
ham, so that I can have a scalloped ham and potatoes for supper tomorrow night.
The Pages and their 10 yr old niece are having dinner with us, and after dinner,
they’re taking Ronnie and me to the Barnes Circus at the stadium.  (Tickets
$1.50 a piece, but they insisted on paying for ours too.)  I feel I should
repay them in some way,

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so I asked them to eat with us, before we go.  I haven’t attended a circus since
I was a wee little girl so maybe I’ll enjoy it, too. (My second childhood).

I’m enclosing these pictures on Swedish housing, cut out of the daily news, as
I thought you might be interested.  Sounds ideal and we certainly could make
use of this type of housing in this country.  Their housing plans, are to
encourage children, but in this country, you’re out of luck trying to rent if
you have children.  They also go in for beauty in landscaping around the

apt bldgs.

I rec’d five V-mails yesterday, dated April 15th and 16th, but letter #1 is
missing for April 15th.  Thought I’d get it

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today, but no such luck!  I still can’t figure out why you let them ship you
around as an entertainer.  Why did you ever tell them you play an instrument,
when you know you’ve forgotten after such a long time?  Sometimes I can’t
figure either you or the Army.

I drove Marielle down to the I.C. depot tonite, as the Pages were home and
Ronnie was asleep.  She had a long wait for a train, so we went across the
street to the Paradise Inn for a glass of sweet wine.  It’s so cold and wet
outdoors that it tasted good.  The Paradise Inn is where you and I and Dick and
Gladys stopped that night when you and your sis called each other’s bluff and
had drinks.  It seemed funny to be there with Marielle this time, and to think
it was more

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than 2 yrs since you and I were there.  It sure makes me think of how old I’m
getting and wasting my youth away all by myself.  It is sad, isn’t it?

Ronnie asked me yesterday, "Who made Daddy go to France?" I replied, " Hitler,"
and he said, "Bad boy Hitler," and then finished by saying, "Poor Daddy, he’s
all alone in France, isn’t he, Mommy?"  I said, "Yes, darling, he’d better be!!"

While I was washing the upper living room walls yesterday, Ronnie asked me to
draw a picture of a train for him.  I said, "No, Ronnie, I’m busy washing
walls." He asked, "Why?"  I said, "’cause Ronnie gets them all full of finger
marks!"  He said, "Oh, no, Mommy, I didn’t get the walls dirty up there." (Which
is true.)  He’s pretty clever, I’d say!  Well, honey, goodnight and sleep tight.

All our love,
Mom and Ronnie