20 Sep September 20, 1945

letter
from: PFC George W. Shonkwiler
to: Mrs. Alice Shonkwiler
Compiegne, France
20 September, 45
3:30 P.M. Thursday

Dearest Alice and Ronnie,

Well I’ve spent a pretty busy morning and afternoon up to now.  Am pretty well
up to date so we’ll take time off to start this letter now and probably finish
it later in the day.

Received two letters again today - also two yesterday.  So that makes two from
you, one from Murray and one from Gladys since writing you last.  No it wasn’t
Murray’s letter I got yesterday either, it was another one from Eggie.  Gladys
wrote me on her first day back to work after Dick left for Camp Atterbury.
Guess it was pretty hard coming down to Earth.  She said they had a nice meal
while in to see you and that Ronnie went for Dick in a big way.  He’s seeing so
many men guess he won’t have anything to do with his old man when he gets there.
Eggie didn’t have much to say other than they had moved into a house and it
sounded very much like that there may be an <? heir> to the family someday.
Although that is pure assumption on my part.  However I should think it’s

about time.

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I can’t understand why my mail is so irregular about arriving there.  I am
writing practically the same amount as usual.  Guess I do miss a day now and
then but not too often.

Yesterday was also an off day with me.  I spent the morning in bed.  In the
afternoon I went promenading with a couple of the boys.  Stopped over at our
88th - BU and saw a pretty good G.I. show.  Heard Alphaise  Costelen from
Metropolitan Opera sing.  Very good - he too is a GI.  In the evening five of
us went out to the village for another meal.  We had the usual except [we] had
to be satisfied with fried eggs as they had no meat.  It was all very good and
we get fresh eggs so rarely here that they were almost just as good as meat.
We also had a bottle of wine with a meal this time.  The whole thing cost us
two packages of cigarettes and six bars of laundry soap that we got for free at
the supply room just before going out.  The cigarettes cost us three francs per
pkg.  Barter and exchange is a wonderful thing in this world.

On the way back stopped at the downtown service club and had a few games of

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ping pong and some Cokes.  After that back and an hour or so of poker.  We do
lead a wonderful life, don’t you think?

There aren’t even any rumors in the last couple days so have absolutely nothing
new to report along those lines.  Of course it’s far too soon to expect any
reply from you concerning my telegram etc. so I’m just sweating things out.

You mentioned sending you money in an envelope.  Will enclose a 500 franc note.
You can see what you can do with it but I have an idea you are in for a
surprise.  You see there is no such thing as American money in circulation here
So I can’t send that.  This 500 franc note I am enclosing is worth a few cents
over ten dollars at the established army exchange rate.  Actually I think you
will find when you go to try to convert it into American money you will only
receive about $5 if you can exchange it at all.  That is what we have been
kicking about.  Being paid at a rate that is half what the money is

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actually worth on the world market.  In other words, instead of me getting

twenty some odd dollars that I should draw monthly[,] actually in the real
value of the franc, I only get about ten.  Now you see why it really is useless
to send Francs home and take at least a fifty percent cut.  Well see what you
can do with this.  If you can get ten dollars for it then I will send you more.
By the way, I can still get "two for one" here in the exchange for francs.

We are now processing six hundred WACS per day through this depot and will
continue to do so until they are out of the ETO.  A job which will take  until
way into November.  So it’s pretty definite that we all will be here that long.
So far haven’t seen any of the WACS but probably will.

It’s now ten fourty five P.M. and I’ve seen a show and made twenty dollars
playing a little poker with a couple of the boys since starting this letter.
So this five hundred I’m enclosing is just a small contribution from the boys.
Could send you a hundred just as easily if I knew a method.

These pictures I am enclosing are some

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of those I took at the Riviera.  One batch were all taken from the train on
the way back from Marseille.  They are not as good as I had hoped for but might
give you some idea of what some of the places I saw were like.  I have four
more rolls being developed at Nice.  The man said he would send them to me.
Certainly hope he doesn’t forget.

Well it’s getting way after eleven now and I still have to shave.  So I’m off
to my evening chores.  How’s my little Ronnie tonite and it sure sounds like he
is really growing up to be a big boy.  Boy I certainly hope I can make it home
by Christmas.  Just about have another package ready to send with a bunch of
stuff in it.  If I keep this up, we will have to open a store.

Now all my love, Goodnite,
Daddy