Episodes
August 30, 1971: The Quarter Pot Bankroll
Send us a text Dick writes Sarah from Vietnam about his loneliness, his daily routine, and a steak dinner with Verl Diamond. But what stands out is the truth about the “quarter pot.” Since April 27, the very first day of these letters, Sarah and Dick had a private game: each time they acted on thei…
August 29, 1971: Waves of Love and Wasted Days
Send us a text On August 29, 1971, Dick writes of his doubts about the Air Force while Sarah dreams of waves of love stronger than hate. These letters reveal a side of Vietnam that’s rarely told — not the battles on the ground, but the long days of waiting, sitting alert, and holding fast to love a…
August 28, 1971: Love Letters, Family Ties, and Waiting for Hawaii
Send us a text On August 28, 1971, Sarah battles a nasty stomach bug alone in San Antonio while longing for Dick’s care, and Dick hosts a “party” at Bien Hoa that feels more like routine than celebration. In these letters, they both write about their parents — Sarah’s mother calling with excitement…
August 27, 1971: Love Letters Across Miles, Counting Down to Hawaii
Send us a text On August 27, 1971, Sarah and Dick wrote to each other from across the world — she in San Antonio, he in Vietnam. Their letters capture the closeness of their bond, even as they counted the days until their reunion in Hawaii. Dick dreams of love and intimacy, while Sarah shares her d…
August 26, 1971: From Miami Skies to San Antonio Nights
Send us a text On her final day in Miami, Sarah packs her bags, says her goodbyes, and flies back to San Antonio. A rain-soaked trip to the airport brings an unexpected farewell that leaves her touched, while Joy fills her in on the latest gossip back home. She also secures her ticket to Hawaii — m…
August 25, 1971: Monsoons, Tonk, and the Last Letter from Miami
Send us a text On August 25, 1971, Dick writes from Vietnam about monsoon rains, a trip to Saigon, and missing Sarah more deeply as R&R draws close. Meanwhile in Miami, Sarah writes what would be her last letter from the city before heading back to San Antonio — full of longing, humor, and play…
August 24, 1971: Cottage Cheese, Peaches, and a French Fuck Dream
Send us a text On August 24, 1971, Dick and Sarah write letters brimming with humor, longing, and intimacy. From Dick’s bowl of cottage cheese and peaches (with a cheeky pregnancy joke) to Sarah’s playful confessions and late-night dream, these letters capture the romantic, teasing side of their lo…
August 23, 1971: Happy First Day of Our Second Year
Send us a text On August 23, 1971, Dick writes to Sarah on the first day of their second year of marriage. From Vietnam, he reflects on the love they share, the ache of separation, and his longing for their time together in Hawaii. He admits to feeling depressed at times, yet his words overflow wit…
August 23, 1971: Two Letters and a Shack Full of Love
Send us a text On August 23, 1971, Sarah couldn’t stop writing to Dick. In the afternoon, she shares her Miami shopping adventures, buying a swimsuit and trying to look her best while pregnant. That night, she picks up her pen again, writing with longing, humor, and passion. Across two letters and …
August 22, 1971: Our Day — First Anniversary, Roses & “Wittle Chickad…
Send us a text On August 22, 1971—my parents’ first wedding anniversary—they were almost four months apart: he in Vietnam, she in Miami. They still made it theirs with roses, a phone call, and three love letters. In this episode, you’ll hear both of my dad’s playful notes and my mom’s tender reply—…
August 21, 1971: Seven Letters, a Jukebox, and Roses Before Midnight
Send us a text On August 21, 1971 — the night before their first wedding anniversary — both of my parents wrote letters. My dad, in Vietnam, received a bundle of seven letters at once and counted down the days until R&R. My mom, pregnant in Miami, spent the day at the pool, celebrated with frie…
August 20, 1971: Nineteen Days, Quarters in the Pot, and Airport Dayd…
Send us a text On August 20, 1971, both of my parents wrote letters — nineteen days from their reunion during R&R. My dad, in Vietnam, writes about an afternoon movie and thirty cents dropped into their private “love pot.” My mom, pregnant with me in Miami, writes about her growing belly, Brand…
August 19, 1971: Forever and Ever, Amen
Send us a text On August 19, 1971, my dad wrote his last letter to my mom in Miami before redirecting his words to San Antonio, carefully timing the mail so she wouldn’t miss a day of his love. My mom, writing the same day, urged him to always be honest about his homesickness because she could feel…
August 18, 1971: Groovy Baby, Rattlesnakes, and Love Letters
Send us a text On this day, Sarah in Miami and Dick in Vietnam each wrote about “grooving” — holding on to the love they’d already shared and dreaming of the love to come. Sarah hears a news report that makes her think, just for a moment, that her husband could be coming home early. When she realiz…
August 17, 1971: With Our Great Love, We Can Weather Any Storm
Send us a text On August 17, 1971, Dick sends not one but two love notes from Vietnam — one written with their anniversary in mind, and another just for the joy of telling Sarah how much he loves her. That same day, Sarah writes from Miami, glowing with excitement after receiving her R&R orders…
August 16, 1971: Being Surrounded by Love
Send us a text On August 16, 1971, my parents both sat down to write letters — my dad in Vietnam, my mom in Miami. In them, they reflect on the love they’ve built in their first year of marriage and the joy of anticipating their reunion in Hawaii. My dad writes that he is ending the first year of t…
August 15, 1971: Rain Showers, Ray Charles, and Counting Down to Seve…
Send us a text It’s August 15, 1971 — just one week before my parents’ first wedding anniversary. My mom is still in Miami, moving between friends’ houses, going to parties, and enjoying summer nights. She’s singing “Rain, rain, go away” like she used to when I was a kid — and casually noting that …
August 14, 1971: The Countdown to Our Day
Send us a text From Vietnam, my dad counts down the days until his R&R in Hawaii with my mom — just 15 to 18 left. He gives her careful instructions for meeting him at the airport, worries about her overexerting herself, and calls her “beautifully preggy.” This letter overflows with love, antic…
August 14, 1971: From Good Morning Kisses to Pregnant Virgin Promises
Send us a text On this day in 1971, my mom wrote my dad twice from San Antonio — once in the morning with her travel details for their Hawaii R&R, and again later with an intimate, deeply personal letter about longing, love, and what this long separation has meant for her. From a warm good morn…
August 13, 1971: Miami Sun, Love Letters, and Counting Down to Hawaii
Send us a text On Friday the 13th, with just 26 days until their R&R in Hawaii, my parents exchanged two letters filled with humor, longing, and the small details that made their love story so vivid. My mom, writing from Miami, shares her days with Teri, Judy, and Bill Cobbs — shopping trips, a…
August 12, 1971: Rearranging the Room, Nights Out in Miami, and Count…
Send us a text It’s August 12, 1971, and my parents are writing from opposite sides of the world — my dad in Vietnam, my mom in Miami. In his letter, my dad tells her about rearranging his room, hanging her poster at the foot of his bed, and feeling the deep ache of homesickness after a night of dr…
August 11, 1971: A Day in Two Voices
Send us a text It’s August 11, 1971. My parents are 8,000 miles apart — my dad in Vietnam, my mom in Miami — but they’re both writing to each other on the same day. These letters capture the same heartbeat from two different worlds: his longing to talk to her, hers to feel him near. You can hear th…
August 10, 1971: Miami Friends, Married Life, and Counting the Days
Send us a text In Miami, my mom is surrounded by friends, sun, and letters from my dad — the kind of letters she says are the real turn-on. She’s counting the days until their R&R in September and reflecting on how life feels quieter now that she’s happily married. This is the other half of the…
August 10, 1971: Barbed Wire, Minefields, and Miami Sunshine
Send us a text My dad writes from Vietnam with two of my mom’s letters in hand, a little teasing about R&R, and the first real picture of where he’s been living for months — a small Air Force compound surrounded by barbed wire, electric lights, and minefields. Meanwhile, my mom’s in Miami, surr…