24 Jun June 24, 1945

Letter
from: A. Shonkwiler
to: PFC George W. Shonkwiler
June 24th, 1945, Sunday, 10.45 p.m.

Hi, honey,

It’s me again. Gee, how do you ever stand all the blah, blah, blah in my
letters?  I honestly wish I had the knack of making the little things that
happen in my life sound interesting.  But guess you’ll just have to take my
letters as they are, as I’m very poor in composing them.  I guess I told you
in Friday’s letter about my flu and so on.  Well, it lasted well into Sat.
a.m., and when Gladys called Friday night, I was tempted to tell her not to
come Sat. morning, but didn’t.  She and Joyce called me from the Kensington
Station at noon, and altho I was pretty weak, I arranged to go down the loop
with them.  As I was so sick Thur. and Fri., I had all my weekend shopping
for meat and

page two,
groceries to do Sat. a.m., plus cleaning house, scrubbing kitchen and bathroom
floors, and so on.  Ronnie and I met them, and we went down to the loop and
shopped around until 2:00, then ate our dinner at the Triangle Restaurant
(or rather it was lunch).  Ronnie and Joyce each ate a big dish of spaghetti,
and I had a ham sandwich, coffee, and pie.  Gladys had a peach lunch.  Then
we shopped again until 5:00, Gladys buying a shorts outfit for both she and
Joyce, and I bought only a little sun suit for Ronnie.  At 5:00 we stopped
at Gimball’s for dinner.  I had roast beef, au juice, chicken soup, tomato
juice, chef salad, potatoes, carrots, and lemon pie, and two cups of coffee.
Ronnie and Joyce split a dinner of chopped steak and above dishes at the

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waitress’s suggestion.  Both Ronnie’s and my meal came to only $2.43 (plus
tip) that way, which wasn’t bad for the loop.  (My meal was $1.75.)  After
dinner we went to the Oriental Theater and saw "Hitchhike to Happiness" and
a stage show with Jean Parker in person.  The picture wasn’t too good.  When
we left the show, it was about 9:30, so we went home and glad to get there.
We were all dead on our feet by then, and the kiddies very tired.  Ronnie
was almost asleep when (on the train) he caught sight of an eight-year-old
girl across the aisle, and a flirtation started, and they held hands and
what have you.  Just like all the men, never too sleepy to notice the women.
It’s only after they married that they get too sleepy for romance.

page four.
This morning Ronnie and Bobby went to S.S. as usual and Joyce went too.  She
said Bobby kept hitting Ronnie all the time and then Ronnie would yell, ouch,
and get bawled out for not being quiet.  When Bobby tells me (for example
last Sunday) he claims Ronnie slaps him in Sunday school, but now I know
differently.  The Sunday School annual picnic was today in Dalton Park,
and Mr. and Mrs. Dixon took Bobby and spent the day there.  But although I
wanted to go, Gladys didn’t want to, so Ronnie missed out on it -- poor little
feller.

For dinner today I used the pressure cooker and it turned out very good.
I ordered a pot roast (2 1/2 lb.) a week ago and for second choice, a veal
roast.  Guess what my meat pkg. contained when I picked it up Sat. a.m.,
five pork chops and

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I was lucky to get that, imagine next time I’ll order pot roast as third
choice, and perhaps I’ll get it.  One never seems to get first choice.

I had apricots in raspberry jell-O, salad on lettuce, pork chops, buttered
carrots and green beans, potatoes, gravy, hot Parker House Rolls, and jelly,

rashes, celery and olives, and ice cream, and iced tea.  Outside of the chops,
I think you’d have enjoyed the meal, too.

Just about 1/2 hour before Gladys and Joyce left at 4:30, Jim and Martha
Tostie and Tommy stopped in.  (All my guests always come the same day it
seems!)  I had a couple of films left on a roll I took on Joan’s graduation
day, so I took snaps of the whole gang.  I hope they turn out okay, as I
know you’ll like to

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see them.  I won’t get them until next Sat. however.

After taking G and J to the station, I fixed a supper for myself, Ronnie,
and the Tostis’.  We had lettuce, tomatoes and bacon (toasted) sandwiches,
iced tea, chocolate cake, and ice cream.  Then after dishes we all went in
the backyard to play ball with the kiddies but next door, Mrs. Fulton slammed
the door to show her disapproval.  Also reprimanded both Joyce and Ronnie for
pulling each other in the wagon past their house.  After the fight I overheard
over there last Wed. she had a lot of nerve asking for peace and quiet at all.
I’m glad I won’t have her as a neighborhood forever, I hope!

Jim asked me to tell you that Trainer Ferguson of I.U. passed away May 20th
and also that

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Coach Tom has resigned his position to go to California on business.  He said
he’d thought you’d be interested.

Martha told me a rather sad story today while she and I went to the store this
afternoon.  She said she was engaged to a fellow when she was 21 and in an
auto accident he broke his back and when she went to see him he immediately
wanted her to feel free to marry someone else as he would be a wheelchair
cripple the rest of his life.  At different times (as his nerves in spine
were severed) he had to have both feet and so on amputated because gangrene
set in.  For three or four years she still remained true to him and didn’t
date, but at his insistence she went back to continue her schooling and then
met and fell in love with Jim.  She wrote this fellow then that she had found
someone and so on that she felt could take his place in her heart.  Well the
end of the story is that this

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man died last week during another amputation.  I’ve often thought that there
was something sad looking about Martha’s eyes, and now I can see what must
have bothered her for all these years.  I think that his death will more or
less relieve some of this feeling that perhaps she should have stuck with him.
I was just thinking that life is really more tragic than fiction at times.  I
guess even you know that, also, as you’ve certainly had your troubles. I
hope that when all this is over that perhaps you and I can finish out our
lives and love as a happy ending and that we’ll have a chance to make up for
all the time we’ve lost.

I’m home all alone now as the Tostis’ left at 9:00 and the Pages have

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been gone since morning.

Frances Evers called at 9:30 tonight asking if I could come out for dinner
next Sunday.  I can’t as I’m going to the cottage at the Lake Schafer with
Ronnie, Gladys and Joyce.  Gladys can only stay Sat. and Sunday as her vacation
won’t come until later in the summer.  I don’t know how long I’ll stay but
Claude and Jo are staying for 2 weeks.  I hope we have a nice time and that
we’ll still be friends when I leave.

Al Evers is alerted and his mail is censored again, so he thinks he’s headed
for the S. Pacific.  Frances is broken hearted as she didn’t expect it so soon
if at all.  She is such a nice girl that I feel just as she does about it --
almost.  Come to think of it, there are very few people I do dislike very much.
I can always see thru people and find a spark of good somewhere in their make

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up that to me makes up for a lot of their bad traits.  Do I have a strange
philosophy?  However I’ve never been successful in pretending to like someone
I did dislike and I think that will always be me.  Nor would I dislike anyone
because of things anyone else could tell me regarding them.  I have to find
out for myself and I’m not from Missouri either.

Well guess I’ve taken up enough of your time so we’ll close very soon.

Are you out of the hospital by now?  f you’re cured -- I hope so!  Otherwise
I want you to stay until cured.  (As if I can tell the army what to do.)

Well good night sweetheart and cheer up, we’ll be together soon and the
three of us can give three big cheers!  Our love is yours for all time,

Mom and Ronnie

P.S.
Norma (your sis) was injured by an auto while crossing a street but luckily
was thrown to the side and got only a gash over the eye and bruised of course.