10 Mar March 10, 1945

Letter
from: Mrs. G. Shonkwiler
to: Private George W. Shonkwiler
March 10th, 1945, Saturday, 11:40 p.m.
Noteworthy: meat shortage, black market penalties, Mom lays down the law.

My darling,

Finally had a Saturday night out!  Marge and Murray took me to the Capitol
and then to the Inglnook for beef barbecue and coffee and french fries.
We saw John Wayne and Ella Reigns in "Tall in the Saddle" and Edie Bracken
and Ella Reigns in "Return to the Conquering Hero". Both pretty good. While
in the theater, Marge and I weighed ourselves. She weighed 105 in a silk
dress and I 104 in a suit and hat. Boy, I’m really slipping. Of course,
I’ve had a cold the past week, but feel better now. Ronnie had a cold for
a couple days, but is fully recovered now. He just had a runny nose where
I had all the trimmings -- sore throat, headaches, and all. How is your
cold? Seems you had it for some time as you

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mentioned in your Feb. 22nd letter and again today in today’s V-MAILs
dated March 1st.  Besides the two March 1st V-MAILs today, Ronnie got
his teddy bear. It is just darling, honey, and he hugged it so tight when
I told him Daddy sent it. I see you have hidden talents. By the way, who
helped you make it? (Must have been feminine.) Where did you get the wool?
If I could get the wool, I’d like to make one like it as I think I could
copy it. (Maybe.) It certainly is clever and I’ve never seen one like it.

I’ve done very little except clean house all day today.  I also shopped for
groceries and bought myself a steak for my dinner tomorrow. I hope it’s nice
and tender as it’s the first one I’ve had for more than a month, except for
a little

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one I had in the restaurant a couple weeks ago. Meat is certainly scarce
now-a-days, even if one had the red points.  Just as I wrote this, the
newscast reporter just announced the U.S. is faced with the greatest meat
shortage in its history and no relief in sight before next Fall and that
butchers may go on a 3 or 4 day week as they have no stock for a full week.
Isn’t that something? Aren’t you glad you’re in the Army and can have meat?
Mrs. Page is having a house full of company tomorrow for her Dad’s birthday
and went to three or four markets but finally had to buy four cans of spam
to serve for tomorrow’s dinner. Chicken is also impossible to buy.

Of course so far I’ve been able to get meat but I just don’t

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have enough points. Personally, I’d give up eating meat altogether if I
were sure you were getting some.

In today’s letter you mentioned that you might get to visit Paris. Did
you? I understand a meal there is $12.00. Is this so? Or were you eating
while there?  Everyone tells me that that would be a waste of time in gay
Paree!!  You better not fool around with these French gals, or I’ll do a
little scouting of my own instead of waiting patiently for your return.
Just remember I’m not the gal who forgives and forgets either as some
wives might. You see, I figure playing square goes both ways.  I’m pretty
sure you feel the same way so I’m not very worried on that score in spite
of what anyone says to

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the contrary,  My main worry is whether you will come back to me safe and
sound so we can live the rest of our lives together as we were meant to do

when we said our "I do’s".  Just think it’s already 8 months since we’ve
seen each other.  One thing that worries me is that I’ll be so old, wrinkled
and ugly when you come back that you won’t love me anymore.  Especially after
seeing all those glamorous gals overseas.

By the way, better stay out of this black market business as hundreds of
soldiers, (or should I say thousands), are being court marshals and given
life sentences and so on.  Any money gained that way isn’t worth it. So
take heed and if you run out of money, I’d rather send you some of our

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savings, rather than you should risk your future freedom. I’m talking
nonsense as I know you won’t get mixed up in anything like that.

Have you heard anything from Eggy lately? or Hitchcocks? They haven’t
written to me since they went to Calif. to live.  In fact, she didn’t
even call me before she left.

I got a letter from your Dad and he said to tell you he’d like to hear
from you direct.  So try to write him oftener, will you, darling?  I know
he worries about his children more than you realize, perhaps.

Well, guess this is all for tonight, and so God bless you and keep you
safe from harm so that Mommy and Ronnie can have you with us soon again.

Our love always,
Mom and Ronnie.

P.S. I enjoyed reading The Yank, Stars and Stripes newspaper you sent
with Ronnie’s Teddy Bear.