01 Jul July 1, 1945

letter
from: PFC George W. Shonkwiler
to: Mrs. Alice Shonkwiler
Compiegne, France
1 July 1945, Sunday, 5.30 p.m.
Noteworthy: Dad "boils over" at the Army.

Dearest Alice and Ronnie,

While waiting for the time to pass until the show at 6:30 will bring you up to
date, which doesn’t take much bringing.  Today has been very quiet.  Doctor
looked me over and it looks like I’m good for a few more days right here.  Now
you have all there is to tell.  It’s been raining practically all day and I’ve
spent mine inside reading, sleeping, and writing a letter to Forest and one
now to you.

I believe I told you in last night’s letter that I left a very lucrative game
of poker to write you.  Well, very sadly, after I had finished, the game
moved to a back room and continued on into the morning with me participating.
I managed to lose about 14 of the 15 dollars I had won earlier.  Not much
profit there considering all the sleep I lost.  Sleep is one thing we get
plenty of around here, so maybe I’m not

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out so much at that.  I suppose my card playing sounds very boring to you,
but hell, that’s about all one does in a hospital and I have to talk about
something.  I’m sure you must get tired of me continually griping about the
army.  Guess Forest will be too after getting my letter of today.  I certainly
let off some steam.  Not that he can do anything about it but then he is a
Democrat.  And he made a couple cracks in his letter that I didn’t like.  It’s
certainly nice to live in a country of free speech.  You don’t have to worry
too much about getting your head chopped off if you say the wrong thing about
the right person.  At least I don’t think I have to yet.  Can’t tell what the
Democratic Party will do to perpetuate themselves in place for the next
election.

There is a pretty rotten thing being pulled on the fellows in the bed next to
me.  He is in here for a hernia operation.  Now there is a ruling

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out in the ETO that say one to be hospitalized for 60 days or more will be
returned to the states.  Well this fellow came in here three weeks ago for his
operation.  They shaved him and got him ready for the operation the night
before.  The next morning he was all broken out in some kind of a rash so they
brought him to this ward to clear up the rash before operating fearing
infection.  He is now ready again for the operation but guess what they are
doing to him.  They are sending him back out to his company tomorrow for one
day then he he has to come back the next day for the operation.  In other
words if he went directly from here to the operating room he would probably be
in for 60 continuous days.  The doctor said it was routine for them to do it
that way but I know that’s a damn lie.  The man is supposed

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to have an acute case.  Don’t suppose anything will happen to him that day
out but just in case, his folks will merely get a telegram saying something
happened while in the line of duty or words to that effect.  He is just a
minor case of many that I’ve seen over here and surely proves that as far as
the Army is concerned the individual doesn’t exist.

Well had better stop with that before I get started [to] you and then you’d
never have no end.  I’m really boiling over with the likes of that and that’s
the trouble it just boils over.  There isn’t much else one can do until you are
discharged and then it’s too late.  However this fellow Mauldin who was

recently discharged, the fellow who writes all those cartoons of "Up front
with Mauldin" can do some good and unless the big shots close him up may.  At
least he got one dig in about Patton that I have no doubt was true.  Sometimes
I think that is one reason why they are so slow about discharging GIs.  They

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are a bit afraid of some of them sounding off a little too much to suit some
certain people.

I am quitting now temporarily for the show.  Probably will tell you about it
later.  No mail today so nothing new there.  Goodbye now,
Wes

10:30 p.m Sunday

Here I am again after a lousy show and a lousier evening of poker.  I lost
about ten dollars tonight.  Oh, such is life in the Army.  Well one can’t win
all the time.

Can’t think of much else.  Maybe shouldn’t have even told you that much but
then I believe in telling the good with the bad and I don’t think anyone can
win all the time.  So why try to kid you.  Anyhow I’m sure I am a little ahead

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of the game and I think too much of money to allow myself to lose constantly.

Had intended sending you a pkg mostly of your old letters long before this but
being in here put a stop to that.  However now maybe when I do get to send it,
I will have a little surprise for you.  Don’t expect too much though.  Don’t
know if you are interested in cluttering up the house with worthless souvenirs
or not.  If you are say so and I can pick up a few here and there.

Time to go now.  How’s my little Ronnie tonite?  Being a good boy I hope.
All my love to you both.

Good night my dears,
Daddy