09 Jul July 9, 1945

letter
from: PFC George W Shonkwiler
to: Mrs. Alice Shonkwiler
68th Station Hospital
Compiegne, France
9 july 45, 9:15 A.M.

Dear Alice and Ronnie,

Trying something a little different today.  Seems like if I wait until night to
write you it’s always somebody wanting to play cards, a show to go to, or
something to keep me from writing.  This time of the morning is usually the
quietest.  The Red Cross doesn’t open until ten.  The Stars and Stripes don’t
come until ten thirty and the Doctor usually comes in about that time too.

I’m all washed and shaved and feel pretty good after a fair nite’s sleep.
However I look like a ghost.  The penicillin salve I have on my face is cream
colored and I have it spread on all over my face and back of my neck.  That

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is [Those are] the only places now that aren’t entirely healed.  It’s darn funny
before coming in the hospital I hadn’t been bothered with my face breaking out
for almost a year just on my body.  Now it’s about gone every place else[.]
[But] but about a week ago started breaking out on my face.  Not bad but bad
enough to still keep me in here.  I still have a hunch though that I will be
released this week.  I hope so as I know now that they aren’t going to do any
more about finding the cause of the trouble and I might as well get back to work.
If I ever get back in the States I will try a hospital again and really buck for
results or else.

Yesterday, Sunday was just another day in ETO life confined to a hospital.

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The weather as usual was warm and very nice.  We had the usual tasteless fried
chicken for dinner along with mashed potatoes, peas, bread and butter, lettuce
and peaches and coffee.  None of it too tasty but still better than the average
army meal by far.  It certainly will be a real pleasure to get to eat some real
home cooked food again.  I’ve eaten so much tasteless food in the past year that
I don’t think I would know now what a real juicy steak would be like.  Guess you
wouldn’t either from what I can gather of the meat situation back there.  We do
get plenty of food here and lately quite a bit of beef.  That’s probably one
reason why you are having to do without a little.

There was no mail again

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yesterday.  So still don’t know if you are on your vacation or not and if you are,
how well you are enjoying yourselves.  I remember about this time last year we
were rushing around trying to put a lot of enjoyment in a very few days and not
succeeding very well.  Perhaps the next time we will have a few extra days and I
won’t be having a long ocean trip staring me in the face and we will be able to
do a little better.

Well, due to many interruptions, it is now almost lunch time.  Don’t know
whether writing in the morning is better or not.  There has been the Stars and
Stripes to read, five games of ping pong, a couple glasses of coca-cola and am
still sweating out

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the Doctor’s arrival.  I am sending you a copy of today’s S. and S.  On the back
page is a very good picture of how we do much of our traveling over here.  The
good ole 40 and 8’s.  I have taken too little jaunts by that manner.  Both very
miserable.  One was for three days during last October from Omaha Beach to

Le Man’s.  The second last Mar. from La Harve to Estampes [Etampes] about thirty
miles So. of Paris.  That’s when I was with Sgt. Sweeney.  Now that’s real
traveling in comfort.  That’s why I can’t understand why they are doing so much
griping about riding in day coaches back in the States.  I wonder what they would
say if they put whole divisions of men on a freight train and

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transported them across the continent in that manner.  For food they would have
C and K rations.  For water either contaminated water to be found all along the
route or condensed life [live] stream from the engine.  Personally I prefer the
water from the engine and drank plenty of it along the hundreds of other G.I.s.
Naturally we all had the "GI’s" upon arriving at our destination but that was
routine.  Gripe yes.  But a good soldier is expected to gripe and nothing ever
comes of it, especially in the battle zone.

I sent a sixty dollar money order in my last letter.  Have also made out another
one which I will get tomorrow and will send in tomorrow’s letter.  Guess it’s a
good thing

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I did too as my luck didn’t hold in last nite’s game and I lost a few hundred
francs.  Now I’m down around fifty dollars on hand again and will play a little
more cautious[ly] for the next few days.  I can’t allow my capital on hand to get
too low or else one really bad night might wipe me out entirely and that wouldn’t
be very good, would it?  Anyhow one hundred and twenty five dollars is not bad as
a poor PFC in the army.  So make the most of it.

Now it’s really time to go eat.  May add a little later on in the day if anything
important turns up --  until then.

Wes

11:30 P.M.
Well here it is nite again.  Nothing more of importance today.  The Doctor never
did show up.

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This afternoon I saw a Negro G.I. special service show that was pretty good.  The
best was a couple, one dressed like a girl, put on a jitterbug and dance act.
Tonite have been playing poker.  Won three or four hundred francs.  Better than
losing by far and now another day is over and that brings me just one day closer
to home and you and Ronnie.

And this brings me to the end of the page and this letter.  No mail tonite and
that "ain’t good".  How is my little Ronnie tonite?  Enjoying himself with all
his little cousins I hope.  Sure wish I were with you.  Until then all my love
to you both and Goodnite,

Daddy