My father, G. Wesley Shonkwiler was a soldier in WW2 and he and my mother wrote each other extensively during that time.

 

Both of them managed to save the letters. When Mom died I inherited these letters and I have been meaning to digitize and share them for many years. Well I finally find myself with the time to do the work.

 

It is a work in progress and we will be posting more as time goes on. Altogether I estimate that there are 3 or 4 hundred of these letters. Also in the box of saved memorabilia are 144 newspaper sof the era, mostly the Army Stars and Stripes, some photographs I can’t identify, Army badges and some other things.

 

In addition to the trans-scribed letters, I am including photographs of the letters which are on display at the bottom of each transcription.

 

The letters tell of events of each day that each of them is experiencing and has many expressions of love shared beween two people who are no longer with us by many years. I think they would not mind the pubic exposure.

 

Some of the letters are quite interesting  as a comparison between America  of that time and now seen through the eyes of ordinary people. So have a look if you care to, tell others and especially tell Shonkwilers I am not able to reach (my data base of relatives is rather small).

 

Photo of Dad on 26 Aug. 1945 in Grasse France. (Yes the original is very dark.)

I have a plastic box 11″ X 15″  by 4.5″ tall.

By direct count this box 239 letters to be processed. There is a second such box jammed with letters in the same way which presumably also holds 239 letters. So that is 478 altogether for a total of 508 letters altogether as an approximation.

 

The objects counted are envelopes, Some of the envelopes contain several V-MAILs which are especially hard to transcribe. Thus 508 is an underestimate of the number os letters Mom and Dad wrote during the 1 and 2/3 year Dad was in the service.

 

Enjoy.