Episodes

Send us a text The mail still isn’t moving. The phone still hasn’t rung. And neither of them knows what’s happening on the other side of the world. So they write anyway. My dad, stuck in silence in Vietnam. My mom, ordered to bed, in pain, and counting days. Here’s my dad, Dick. Support the show Th…

Send us a text On January 6, 1972, Dick and Sarah write from opposite sides of the world as restlessness gives way to fragile relief. Dick feels isolated and nearly out of his mind as Benoit empties out and the mail still doesn’t reach him. Sarah, after days of intense pain, finds unexpected physic…

Send us a text On January 7, 1972, Dick writes from Vietnam with no idea that this is the day his daughter is being born. Cut off from mail for nearly a week, restless and exhausted, he writes to Sarah about waiting, worrying, and holding on to the promise of a life just days away. There is no lett…

Send us a text On January 4, 1972, Dick and Sarah write from opposite sides of the world as the waiting becomes unbearable. Dick is jittery, nervous, and desperate to know if they are parents yet, while Sarah—cold, exhausted, and in pain—shares the physical realities of late pregnancy and her hope …

Send us a text January 3, 1972 is a day of counting and imagining. Dick writes from Vietnam, off duty and restless, tracking football wins, movies, meals, and the shrinking number of days until he can hold his wife and baby. Sarah writes from San Antonio, pregnant and uncomfortable, counting down f…

Send us a text January 2, 1972 is a full day of writing — four letters moving back and forth across the world. Sarah writes from San Antonio, swollen, exhausted, counting Sundays, and holding herself together. Dick writes twice from Vietnam, tracking football losses, money saved, gifts opened, and …

Send us a text From April through December 1971, Sarah and Dick Allgood wrote to each other every single day while separated by war and distance. This episode closes out the entire year — gathering the people, routines, friendships, exhaustion, humor, and devotion that carried them through eight mo…

Send us a text January 1, 1972 arrives without celebration. From opposite sides of the world, Sarah and Dick begin a new year marked by war, late pregnancy, exhaustion, football losses that sting too deeply to write down, and the quiet certainty that they are almost there. These two letters open 19…

Send us a text On December 30, 1971, three letters move back and forth across the world — two from Dick in Vietnam, one from Sarah in San Antonio. It’s a day full of recalibration. Dick writes once early, once later, quietly shifting his countdown home. Sarah, drunk and honest, opens her door to fr…

Send us a text On December 29, 1971, Sarah and Dick write to each other from opposite sides of the world during one of the heaviest moments of the deployment. Sarah is late in pregnancy, physically miserable, deeply depressed, and frightened by a major bombing escalation now underway through Sevent…

Send us a text On December 28, 1971, the waiting continues. Sarah is exhausted, uncomfortable, frightened, and deeply ready for labor to begin. Dick writes from Vietnam after a quiet day, counting the hours without news and aching to call home. Together, these letters hold the tension of late pregn…

Send us a text On December 27, 1971, both Sarah and Dick are suspended in the same unbearable wait. Sarah is deeply pregnant, exhausted, and riding another false alarm. Dick is frustrated, delayed, and fed up with the chaos surrounding him in Vietnam. Across the world, they imagine the same moment …

Send us a text On December 26, 1971 — the day after Christmas — the outside world presses in. In the news, there’s talk of hijackings, unrest, and even a surreal story circulating about a plot to steal the Statue of Liberty. At the same time, Dick has recently been moved from Bien Hoa into Saigon —…

Send us a text On Christmas Day, December 25, 1971, Sarah and Dick spend the holiday apart — Dick on alert in Vietnam, Sarah surrounded by friends and family in San Antonio, very pregnant and aching for her husband. Dick writes with quiet sadness and restraint, wishing only for the next 88 days to …

Send us a text On Christmas Eve, December 24, 1971, Sarah and Dick spend the holiday on opposite sides of the world — alone, emotional, and deeply connected through letters. Dick writes from Vietnam after receiving a “jackpot” of love letters, counting down the days to home and imagining a future t…

Send us a text On Thursday, December 23, 1971, anxiety and anticipation peak on both sides of the world. Dick writes from Bien Hoa, convinced Sarah may already be in labor, bouncing off the walls with nerves and longing, clinging to future plans and a real estate manual sent by Bill Cobbs. Sarah wr…

Send us a text On Wednesday, December 22, 1971, Sarah and Dick write from opposite sides of the world as Christmas approaches and the weight of waiting deepens. Dick writes from Bien Hoa, quieter and more tired now, passing time, counting days, and imagining the family waiting on the other side of …

Send us a text On Tuesday, December 21, 1971, Sarah and Dick write from opposite sides of the world — both restless, deeply in love, and looking ahead to the same future. Sarah, deep into pregnancy in San Antonio, is surrounded by friends, watching soaps, attending small Christmas gatherings, and f…

Send us a text On Monday, December 20, 1971, Sarah and Dick Allgood write three letters between them from opposite sides of the world. Sarah writes from San Antonio, deeply pregnant, exhausted, surrounded by friends and Christmas cards, and growing more physically uncomfortable by the day. Dick wri…

Send us a text On December 19, 1971, Sarah and Dick Allgood write from opposite sides of the world as Sarah approaches delivery. Sarah describes false labor, visible kicks from their baby, and the loneliness of Sundays without her husband. Dick writes from Vietnam about love with uncommon clarity —…

Send us a text On December 18, 1971, two letters cross the world in opposite directions. Dick writes from Saigon after completing his first day of alert duty at Tan Son Nhut Air Base — describing central air conditioning, movie theaters, and a dysfunctional command structure. Sarah writes from San …

Send us a text On December 17, 1971, only one letter arrives. With Dick now stationed at Tan Son Nhut Air Base in Saigon, the mail is unsettled once again — and this time, there is no letter from him at all. Sarah’s letter carries the full weight of that silence. Writing from San Antonio, she respo…

Send us a text On December 16, 1971, both Sarah and Dick write shorter letters — not because there is less to say, but because what matters most is already known. Dick writes from Vietnam after a day on alert, asking Sarah if she can feel the love radiating between them, reminding her that together…

Send us a text On December 15, 1971, Sarah writes from San Antonio — very pregnant, uncomfortable, sentimental, and deeply loved. This letter isn’t just about waiting for a baby or missing her husband. It’s about community. Friends stopping by. Meals shared. Errands run together. Love sent across t…