July 11, 1971: Apple Juice, Hip Huggers & Showing Up
Send us a text In this letter, my mom is still glowing from hearing my dad’s voice — one of those rare phone calls that managed to break through Vietnam’s overloaded phone lines. She tells him there’s only one better way to be woken up — by his kiss, his touch, and the kind of love they shared so easily. But if she can’t have that, a phone call will do just fine. She pours a glass of their favorite apple juice, tries to settle into a quiet day of old movies and sweet memories, and even make...
In this letter, my mom is still glowing from hearing my dad’s voice — one of those rare phone calls that managed to break through Vietnam’s overloaded phone lines. She tells him there’s only one better way to be woken up — by his kiss, his touch, and the kind of love they shared so easily. But if she can’t have that, a phone call will do just fine.
She pours a glass of their favorite apple juice, tries to settle into a quiet day of old movies and sweet memories, and even makes herself bacon and eggs. But when the neighbors call and invite her down for hamburgers, she pulls herself together — bathes, gets dressed, and throws on her tightest jeans. The ones she bought in Vegas. The ones she swears she won’t be able to wear again next weekend.
Then the tone shifts. One of her friends has a serious horseback riding accident. And without hesitation, my mom drops everything and spends the night by her side — icing her injuries, helping her move, and showing up in that quiet, fierce way she always did. That was who she was. Not just a loving wife — but the kind of friend you could count on when it mattered.
And even after all that, she ends the letter with humor and longing. She calls my dad her “wittle chickie,” and signs off as his lover, his friend, his wife, and the mother of his baby.
Reading this now, I realize how lucky I was to be that baby. To be so deeply loved by a woman like her.
The Allgoods: Vietnam Through the Eyes of Love is a personal podcast project based on real letters exchanged between Capt. Richard Allgood and Capt. Sarah Allgood during the Vietnam War. Photos of the original letters, family snapshots, and behind-the-scenes commentary are available for supporters.
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