03 Feb February 3, 1945

Letter
from: Mrs. G. Shonkwiler
to: Pvt George W. Shonkwiler
February 3, 1945
Sat. 9:45 P.M.
Noteworthy: Mom has disagreements with her brother.

Darling,

Another Saturday night all by my lonesome.  Even the Pages are out.  Honey, you
wouldn’t be safe with me if you were here now.  I’d just hug you to death and
who knows I might even bestow a kiss on those lips of yours.  Gee, honey, I am
dreaming, aren’t I?

Say, by the way, how is Captain Wallace Sheely these days?  He’s your ward
surgeon, isn’t he?  I understand he’s from Gulfport, Mississippi.  How do I
know all this?  Honey you’d be surprised!  No, the War Department didn’t tell
me!  By the way, I didn’t know you

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were 34 years old.  I understood you’re only 33.  Trying to make me think you
are a younger man than you are, huh?  I don’t know if I can forgive you for
that!

Well, now that I’ve got you all excited and curious, I’ll tell you how I
learned all this.  This morning I received a letter from the WLS radio station,
it read as follows:

Sunday, 9:00 P.M.
   Hq. Communications Zone
   ETA  U.S. Army
   censored

Chicago soldier wounded in Germany

   The 187th General Hosp. England -- With an infantry unit assigned to knock
   [out] enemy installations with electrically fired demolitions, Pvt Geo. W.
   Shonkwiler, 34 of 11007th S. Union Ave, Chicago, had crawled up to an
   underground fort in Germany and planted a charge that blasted the entrance,
   shortly before he was wounded by shrapnel.  He is now

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   convalescing at this U.S. Army General Hospital in England.

   "He is well on the road to recovery," said his ward surgeon, Capt. Wallace P.
    Sheely of Gulfport, Miss.

    "We blew up the entrance to that underground labyrinth which brought 102
    Nazis scrambling out with their hands up."  Pvt Shonkwiler related, "We
    turned them over to guards and were moving on another objective when I was
    hit by shrapnel."

    Under heavy shelling at the time and surrounded by snipers, Pvt Shonkwiler
    was evacuated by the medics through a gauntlet of enemy fire.

    "They backed a jeep up to a pillbox we had captured, loaded us on and then
    took off like hell," he smiled.  We tore along those roads with stuff
    exploding ahead, behind and beside us.  But we made it."

    He has been awarded the Purple Heart.  His wife, Mrs. Alice Shonkwiler,
    and son, Ronald, three, resided at Union Avenue address.

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After I read it I called the WLS [station] and was anxious to hear if it had
been broadcast.  The girl there said several of these releases had been rec’d
and as they had no opportunity to broadcast it, a couple of the office girls
(who also had husbands in service) took it upon themselves to send them to the
wives of the men.  She said she hoped it wouldn’t cause them any trouble, as
they had no official sanction as to sending them to us.  So maybe you’d better
mention this to any officers there.  I’m going down to the draft board tomorrow
to see if Edith Kuester will lend me a typewriter so I can send copies of the
above to all your folks.

As I started this letter last night the Pages came home and later came down to
visit, so I

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had to put the letter aside until today.  I’ll make this a long letter to make
up for it O.K.?

Edith called yesterday and insisted Ronnie and I go to Sunday school and church
with them today, so as I couldn’t think of a good alibi, I said we would.  This
morning as we were all set to go, Ronnie threw up his breakfast, so I called
Edith and she brought a fever thermometer to take his temperature on their way
to church.  We found it normal, so altho it stopped us from going to Sunday
school I didn’t worry too much about him.  The Hayes[es] stopped over again
today at 3:00 o’clock and by this time Ronnie was playing with his trains,
football, etc.  I’ve kept him on a fruit and liquid diet, however, and kept

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him in bed all morning and then he had an afternoon nap, and then got up and
has been fine ever since.  Maybe he just ate his breakfast too fast.  He’s been
sound asleep since 8:00 o’clock, so I think he’ll be fine in the morning.  I
guess he’s entitled to having an upset stomach once in a while.  Look at his
Daddy!  While he was eating his supper last night, Mr. Page brought down a dish
of candy mints and just before he went to bed he grabbed a handful.  I tried to
get them back, but instead he popped them all in his mouth at once, the little
dickens.  So all in all, that was probably why he had a bellyache.  I never let
him have candy, so when he gets a chance

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he tries to make up for lost time.

The Hayes[es] left at 8:00 o’clock tonight after I served them a cold lunch,
consisting of peach and lettuce salad, cheese and bacon sandwiches (broiled),
ham sandwiches, and chocolate cake (that I made today) and tea.

Murray and Marge were coming over this afternoon but the roads were so slippery
they didn’t want to attempt it.  First thing this morning it rained on top of
all the ice and snow we already had; then it hailed; later it started to snow
and I think it still is.  The Pages were going to Rogers Pk today, but when he
went out to start his car he found ice a 1/4" thick on the windshield,

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so he called a cab.  The Cab Co. said they weren’t sending any cabs out as it
was too dangerous driving.  They ended up by taking a streetcar to the I.C.
then the "L" out to Rogers Pk.

One thing about Chicago is that if you don’t like the weather, just wait 10
minutes, and presto! it changes.  Imagine rain, hail and snow in one day.  We
also had some sunshine this afternoon.

I intend to get to bed early tonite ’cause at 12:30 last night the Pages
invited me up there for cheese, crackers, cake and coffee and somehow I didn’t
get to bed until 1:30 A.M. and slept very fitfully the rest of the night and
got up at 7:45 to get ready for church.  (Which was a waste of sleep as I

didn’t go anyway.)
I hear there’s a Swedish Lutheran Church at 113th and Union, so I think

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I’ll go soon and perhaps Ronnie can start Sunday school there.  I understand
they have a nursery for children during church services too.  Perhaps when you
get home, honey, I can even persuade even you to go to church.  I hope so!

March told me today that Smith had asked Murray to work there on Wed. nights
and if any prospects came in Murray could sell real estate.  I don’t know how
Murray will stand it not getting to bed 9:00 every night.  Wonder if he will
sell anything?  Nowadays if you’ve anything to offer it must be easy to get a
buyer.

While Hayes[es] were here tonight, Chuck and Betty called long distance and asked
how you were and also said they were praying

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every night for your safe return.  They talked all together at least 20 minutes.
Sure was nice to talk to them and know they think of us too.  In spite of our
disagreements, I know if I ever need anyone, Chuck is there and will help me
thru.  I know he can’t control his temper at times, but I can forgive him
because I use to be the same way, but I think I’ve learned to control mine at
least some.

Chuck said he’s joining the Masons.  Do you think that’s a good thing?  I know
Elinor’s folks and brother belong, altho her brother didn’t until he got in the
Army.  He said it helped him in many ways even in England and he was accepted
by the Masons there, too.

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Have you rec’d any pkgs since you’ve been in the hospital?  I have mailed
several since Christmas time to the hospital address.  Of course they contain
candy and with your stomach, perhaps you can’t have it.  That would be ironic!

Judy is regaining her girlish figure now and since I gave her a bath, brushing
and trim last week, she looks pretty nice.  Of course, I used my own shampoo on
her, she should look nice.  The people who moved into Dr. Elliott’s house (an
elderly couple) have a dog like Judy.  (I wonder if it’s a male? hmm!!)  When
Muriel came over last Monday she saw it and tried to make it come with her,
thinking it was Judy who had strayed.  Did she feel silly when

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she found Judy here when she came in.

Chuck reassured me over the phone tonite saying he understood the Army doctors
would do all in their power to fix up your skin, ulcers, etc. and that they
have all the drugs (new and old) to work with that the civilian doctors find
unavailable.  I hope so, and I have a premonition that you will be home soon,
either because of a medical discharge or the end of the European war.  I hear
the Germans are pretty frightened, as the Russians are only 31 miles from
Berlin.

Goodnight, Sweetheart and remember that soon is none too soon for us to welcome
home our Daddy, Love,
Mom and Ronnie