July 5, 1971: Lipstick Before Bed
Send us a text It’s July 5, 1971, and my mom—Captain Sarah Allgood—is writing from San Antonio in the middle of a hot summer day. My dad, Captain Dick Allgood, was stationed at a real wartime airbase in Da Nang, Vietnam. He’d just sent her a steamy Special Delivery letter, and she’s responding the only way she knows how: with longing, humor, and another quarter in the kitty. She writes about the ordinary things—boiled eggs, soap operas, pizza with neighbors, sunbathing in her “wittle pregna...
It’s July 5, 1971, and my mom—Captain Sarah Allgood—is writing from San Antonio in the middle of a hot summer day. My dad, Captain Dick Allgood, was stationed at a real wartime airbase in Da Nang, Vietnam. He’d just sent her a steamy Special Delivery letter, and she’s responding the only way she knows how: with longing, humor, and another quarter in the kitty.
She writes about the ordinary things—boiled eggs, soap operas, pizza with neighbors, sunbathing in her “wittle pregnant jobbies.” She’s still prepping her uniforms, watching I Love Lucy, and dreaming of their reunion.
My mom looked like Cher—long black hair, tall, striking—and she was always dressed to the nines. She used to joke that she put on lipstick before bed so she could wake up looking good. That was her—beautiful, magnetic, elegant, and grounded.
My dad was calm, golden, and focused—the kind of man they called “The Eagle.”
Together, they created a life in letters. This is what real love looked like in 1971. This is what got them through.
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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