24 Jun June 24, 1945

letter
from: PFC George W. Shonkwiler
to: Mrs. Alice Shonkwiler
68th Station Hospital,
Compiegnes, France
Sunday, 9:30 p.m., 24 June 1945
Noteworthy: attached letter from GI comrade.

Dearest Alice and Ronnie,

Received another letter late last evening.  Another one of the boys from my
room brought this one up mailed June 11th - the one with the old lady with the
boxing gloves.  If I thought that that would be all I’d get out of playing
around over here, I might be more tempted because I’m really not afraid of
your fists.  Especially if you have aged that much.  Don’t imagine you have
aged so much as I have.  My hair isn’t quite that gray yet though.

They had a movie here for us this evening which I attended, <?Save> body
<?Disting>.  Now I have just finished watching the German prisoners put on a
little tumbling exhibition as entertainment for their fellow prisoners.  Their
stockade is right outside our ward I am on the second floor and by looking out
the window had a ringside seat.

Page 2.
Their music was furnished from a guitar[,] accordion and some harmonicas.
They played quite a few American pieces. I think they got the instruments through
the French Red Cross.  There are about 200 of them in the stockade. They do
most of the work in the hospital and around the depot.  They really have it
pretty good considering they are prisoners.  This one I talked to that works
in this world [ward] seems to be pretty intelligent.  However, I take much of
what he tells me with a couple grains of salt.

Just came back from talking with Johnson. One  of my room mates.
The young sergeant who works in the same office with me.  He hurt his knee
and is in one of the wards downstairs.  He told me that my immediate boss is
leaving for an assignment in the States.  I knew he had applied for it, but
didn’t know he had received it.  He leaves Wednesday.  Isn’t that something?
It seems his

Page 3.
Mother has cancer and is not expected to live over a few months.  The Red Cross
wrote a few letters and the rest was done here through our CO.  He’s a nice
fellow and it’s tough having to go home for that reason, but it really is a
nice break that he is getting to go.  Johnson also told me that it is rumored
again that the depot will move out about the middle of Sept.  Of course, as far
as I know that’s still a rumor and definitely still three months away so I’m
just hoping and keeping my fingers crossed.  Now if I was still with the 95th
Div. I would be home by the time you receive this letter.  They left La Havre
Friday for the States, furlough and then the CBI.  How would you like that?
They didn’t come through this depot but I know they have left La Harve anyway.

That letter from Sgt. Lane I was supposed to enclose in yesterday’s letter

Page 4.
I am enclosing in this one.  The boys he talks about are those in my squad.
Lucaratti is the one that had his eye put out that I saw back in Birmingham
England. The other boy, Tanaus[,] sounded like he didn’t do so well.  Yingling
is one of the boys who helped me to the medics.  You see, but for that one bad
day[,] it’s very likely that I would still be with them.  At least he says the
remainder of the squad was intact at the end, and now have and then on my way
to the CBI.  Life and war is a funny thing, isn’t it?  I guess I’m much better
off here now than if I hadn’t been injured.  But then at times I wonder.  Guess
only time can tell that, if ever.

I still haven’t received the film you mentioned sending, nor the soap pkg. It’s
after 10 and my bedtime.  You see I’m an early to bed-er now.  So this is it
for today.  Keep plugging my dear and hoping - someday Love

Daddy

Attached letter
from: Sgt. Arthur Lane
to: PFC George W. Shonkwiler
Selm, Germany
June 3rd 1945

Dear Wes

Here I am again and here we are, still sweating out that return trip to the
States.  The way it looks now, we’ll be lucky to get back before the 1st of
July.  We haven’t any idea where we will be going for a staging area, but you
can be sure that if we come through the 16th, I’ll be looking you up in
Compiegne.

Here is the dope on the boys. In that room with you were Lucaratti, Tanaus, and
Yingling.  Yingling didn’t get a scratch. Tanaus got sprayed with shrapnel.
He’s in the hospital in Cleveland where he is having a skin graft over his
kidney, and still has steel in his neck.  Luraratti lost an eye and is now an
MP at Le Havre.  He got it <? worse> I think.  Since then, the only casualty
has been Dixon, who shot himself in the small left finger the day after we quit
fighting.  That’s the story.  By the way - congratulations on that new stripe.
I’m really glad to see you get it. So long

As ever Art