03 Jun June 3, 1944

letter
from: Pvt George Shonkwiler
to: Mrs. Alice Shonkwiler
3-6-44 [6-3-44] 9:30 P.M.
Saturday
Noteworthy: heat wave in Florida

Dear Alice and Ronnie,

Saturday night and here I sit starting what may be the last letter I’ll get a
chance to write for a couple weeks.  They say we don’t have time to write
letters on bivouac.  But I’ll try to write you if I get half a chance.

Well we got through our 9 mile march this morning with considerable effort.  We
made it in 1 hour and 46 minutes.  That’s stepping it off, don’t you
think?  The last two miles were tough.  I developed a <? steack> on my right
side at the end of 7 miles and the last two miles I had a little trouble.  We
had three men pass out cold after they reached the finish.  One had to be taken
to the hospital and is still there.  We got one break or there probably

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would have been more.  They got us up at 4 A.M. and we finished it before it
really got hot.  By the way, there is some kind of a heat wave on here now,
100 degrees or over every day lately.  Nice isn’t it?  When we got in
this morning we wrung perspiration out of our fatigues.  Well anyhow, that’s
another milestone past.  Now bivouac and we are practically finished.  This
afternoon we washed all our clothes and tomorrow we make up our pack and one
barracks bag - bed early then an early start Monday morning.

I went to Stark this eveniing - had a good T-bone steak dinner and bought a few
things I needed for bivouac.  On the way back I rode back with a young lady
with a little boy a little younger than Ronnie (18 months).  He thought I was
his Daddy and snuggled up to me and went to sleep in my arms just like Ronnie
did.  Sure made me homesick for both of you.  This lady’s husband was being
shipped out someplace - but he is in class C so he won’t go out of country.
She is going to follow him around the country.

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It seems to me if Elinor is still sick it would pay her to go to a Doctor.
Someone besides the Pullman quack.  Certainly hope she is better by this time.

Well my dears, I’m kind of tired, and since I have no stamp and can’t find
anyone else here who has I will finish this sometime tomorrow.  Maybe I’ll
have more to say then - Oh yes, almost forgot they took up a collection for
beer for Bivouac.  [They] Have enough for 500 bottles.  Sounds like someone is
going to do a little drinking while out there.  Guess I’ll have to learn how to
be a beer drinker in order to get my money’s worth.

Got the colored glasses and films and mosquito stuff today.  Thanks.
Good night.

Sunday, 6:30 P.M.
Well here I am again.  We have been

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busy all day washing clothes, mess kits, packing and a dozen other little
details necessary to go on a little two week vacation.  This entire company has
changed in the last few days.  It just seems like no one cares for anything.  I
guess we are all happy that this <? 12> weeks ordeal is about over.  We roll a
full field pack and a barracks bag.  The barracks bag they take out on a truck.
We leave at 3:30 A.M. in the morning.  We hear we go all the way from 10 to 15
miles.  Guess we won’t know until we actually get there.  Tonite we have had
bed check at <? 9>  P.M.  The first since arriving here.

This afternoon I stole enough time to go to the show.  [I] saw, "On the Eve of
St. Mark’s," with Ann Baxter.  It was very good and you should see it.  It
would be a good show for Murray to see if you could tactically suggest it to
him.  The first part of the picture is very true of many things that we go
through here.  The latter part is yet to come, I suppose.  No doubt you are
preparing yourself for the fact that I am going across.  They receive[d] a
V-mail

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letter here yesterday signed by about 50 members of our company who were going
out as we came in.  They are somewhere in the So. Pacific.  Most of them went
to Fort Ord Calif from here.

I received a nice long letter from Murray today - but none from you.
He gave me all the lowdown plus saying he was definitely leaving Pullman.  He
said he sold his house for $8,100 net, which is a little less than what he had
wanted.  Personally, I think he was acting a little fast.

I am enclosing a few pictures taken in the last week or so.  Those inside were
taken late in the evening at one of our package parties.  That’s about the way
it always looks when we receive a package from home.

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I am anxious to hear about Dick.  I wrote him a letter but have received no
answer from him.  He is either too sick to write, too busy or too lazy.

Well Ronnie, your Daddy will soon be seeing you again now.  Are you being a
good boy and helping Mommy out so she will be all rested up for Daddy when he
gets there?  Just tell her not to worry about getting anything ship-shaped
because I’ll have to do something when I get there.

Good night my dears and I’ll do the best I can to write you when I can if I get
time.  In the meantime keep me posted daily and I’ll be seeing you soon.

With lots of love to you both,
Daddy.