04 Aug August 4, 1945

letter
from: PFC George W. Shonkwiler
to: Mrs. Alice Shonkwiler
Compiegne, France
4 Aug 45, Sat. 9:30 P.M.

Dearest Alice and Ronnie,

Will start this letter tonite but there is so very little to write about I’ll
probably wait until tomorrow to finish it.  We do not work on Sunday anymore
-- which is a break.  I’ll probably sleep most of the morning.  There is a
baseball game in the afternoon and probably a show in the evening so it looks
like I’ll have an exciting day.  No mail today and of course there will be none
tomorrow now that we don’t work.  So I only have to look forward to Monday for
any more mail.  Guess you still must be writing about every day - or are you -
but I only <? aouage> [manage] two or three letters a week.  Seems I should do
better than that.

My skin condition is a little better.  Face almost entirely healed.  Have been
using some of my own remedies

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with at least as much success as the doctors had.  If my success continues may
not have to go back to the hospital after all.  I hope I don’t have to over
here.  Since getting out of the hospital last week have been trying to get by
without having to take any powders. Am doing pretty well too.  If I get by
tonite though, I’ll really think I’m doing good.  Tonite for supper I ate half
of a good-sized raw onion[,] a little later four dips of ice cream, a little
later about a half dozen plums, a raw cucumber, <? at ten two> glasses of
coca-cola and I feel the urge right now of eating a candy bar which I’m sure to
do before retiring.  Probably will have to take a powder, too.  What do you
think?

There is still nothing new about that little return trip home.  Guess we will
all make it someday but only the Lord knows when now unless it is the War
Department.  In the meantime, I’m

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wasting a lot of valuable time here in Europe - and neither one of us are
getting any younger are we?

8 P.M. Sun.
Hello.

A very profitable poker game interrupted this letter last nite.  I won thirty
dollars.  Not bad for one evening do you think?  Retired about two A.M. and
didn’t get up until ten thirty this morning.  Thought I would take a chance of
getting some mail at the post office so went up there and lo and behold
received two very nice letters.  The latest one mailed July 30th which is five
days and a record for me so far.

I can’t understand why you haven’t been receiving any of my letters[.]  I’m
sure I have been writing them and mailing them.  In two of them I wrote, while
in the hospital I sent money orders and then I sent another money order right
after getting out of the hospital.  Two hundred dollars in all.  Be sure and
let me know

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if you receive that much.

One of your letters had the pictures enclosed that you took while at the lake.
They are good - thank you.  Although Ronnie usually had something over his face
and I couldn’t tell much about how he looked.  Billy certainly looked funny

with all his hair cut off.  You also mentioned your trip to see Mr. Chamberlin.
Must say I couldn’t draw much of a conclusion from your report.  But then
perhaps you didn’t arrive at any yourself.

We had fried chicken for lunch[,] quite good - and hot dogs for supper tonite.
After lunch today one of the other boys and I went out to one of the battalions
here in the 16th Depot on the other side of town to see a friend of his.  His
friend was out on [a] pass.  So, we returned about 2 P.M. and I watched the
ball game until chow tonite.  After that we went over after some ice cream and
now here I am writing you.  Exciting, isn’t it?  Of course really there is a
little more to it than that[,] but that in brief is the high lights of today’s
doing.  Of course the day hasn’t

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been without profit.  So far through various manipulations have made about
eight hundred francs.  Since Sunday is not supposed to be a working day[,]
guess that’s not too bad.  Unless my luck changes I now have enough money to
go on my furlough to Southern France should I get to go in the near future.

It’s been very warm here today and right now I’m sitting before our open French
windows here in the room writing this with practically nothing on.  Ooh la la
as the French say.  Well I’m comfortable anyhow.  The house sits back from the
street about seventy five feet so the French promenading really couldn’t see
much anyway.

As for selling the house, that’s up to you.  If you do sell it though, it must
be for cash and certainly for not less than twelve thousand you would think
from what I hear, it should be worth a little more than that even.

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Will tell you again that I sent you two packages last week.  One with the
pistol and another with some perfume <? powder> and other junk plus some of
your old letters.  A bottle each of the perfume is for Marge and Martha.  Take
your choice first.

Well there isn’t much more.  It’s now nearly 9 P.M. and after cleaning up a
little and loafing a little, it will be time for early to bed for a change.
I’m glad Ronnie is getting so much enjoyment out of his new gym set.  Maybe he
will be able to show me a few tricks when I get there.

So now all my love to you both and I hope some of my letters start arriving.  I
I really can’t understand why the delay.

Here’s a big kiss and hug for both of you.  Guess it will be a grand day when
it will be me you see walking down the street instead of some other Joe.

Love, Daddy