11 Mar March 11, 1945

Letter
from: Mrs. G. Shonkwiler
to: Private George W. Shonkwiler
March 11th, 1945
Sunday, 10.20 p.m.

Dearest Wes,

How is army life in France by now?  Have you found out as yet what your
duties will be?  Gee, honey, I wish they’d changed their minds and send
all old men like you home to care for your families.  That’s where you
should be anyway instead of over there. I’m sure you could [do] much more
good here.  (Or could you?)

The Pages have had company all day and had birthday cake for her dad,
who is 70 years old. I sat around after breakfast reading the paper.
Then we had our dinner broiled T-bone steak, (rather tough one tho),
mashed potatoes, gravy, creamed spinach and cheesecake and coffee. While
Ronnie had his nap from two o’clock to five o’clock, I sewed ten buttons,

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on one of the wash dresses I’m making.  When Ronnie woke up, I dressed him
and we went for a ride and to mail your Sat. letter.  While riding, I
decided to stop in at Elsie’s sister’s as I had left a pin when I visited
her last summer and thought I’d pick it up.  When I got there, they were
papering the kids’ bedroom and they asked us to stay a while.  We stayed
and they insisted we have a light supper with them consisting of tuna fish
salad, bread and butter, ham, and spiced peas.  I don’t like fish and
spiced peas, so I ate very little.

Elsie wasn’t home and her sister said she doesn’t see her from Sat. evening
until Monday morning, each weekend.  Elsie tells her she stays with a
girlfriend, I hope when and if she does marry

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that it’ll be someone who can handle her and someone who will keep her in
line. Harvey, (the fellow she’s engaged is not that type at all).  She
hasn’t seen him for two years now, and guess to her he’s just a memory.

Lillian (Elsie’s sister) asked me to come to a surprise party on her
husband next Sunday. He’ll be 40 years old then. I think she’s 28 or 29
years old. They have three boys now, five, three, and one years old.

I’ve been sitting here thinking perhaps the Pages might come down with a
piece of birthday cake, but it’s 11:05 and they haven’t yet.  Maybe it’s
all gone.  Their company left at 10 o’clock, so perhaps they’ve
already had their evening snack. Oh well, I can go in my own kitchen
and

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have a donut and some coffee. I’m not really that hungry, however.

I cut a piece off my little finger on my right hand tonight while doing
dishes tonight. The glass coffee maker was broken and I picked it up not
knowing and cut myself.  It is so sore -- Kiss it Daddy.

Did I tell you I now have my new state and city license plates?  I don’t
have them on the car as yet, however.

Did you ever get the second five dollars I sent you? It was addressed to
your (Germany) combat address. I believe the one you said you received
must be the five dollars I sent on Christmas Day to the hospital. I had
sent the other one before that. I wonder if it got lost, or if someone

opened the letter and took it.
Well, good night, honey.  We love you,
Mom and Ronnie.