July 7, 1971: Discharged, Dependent, and Deep in Love
Send us a text On July 7, 1971, my mom was officially discharged from the Air Force. At 30 years old, pregnant with me, she became a dependent wife — no longer an officer, no longer in uniform, and no longer working long hospital shifts. In this letter, you can hear her exhale. She writes about discharge pay, a sandwich and Nehi grape soda, and how much better she feels knowing she’s finally home for good. She also made a deal with the mailman — Joe — who agreed to take her letters each mor...
On July 7, 1971, my mom was officially discharged from the Air Force. At 30 years old, pregnant with me, she became a dependent wife — no longer an officer, no longer in uniform, and no longer working long hospital shifts. In this letter, you can hear her exhale. She writes about discharge pay, a sandwich and Nehi grape soda, and how much better she feels knowing she’s finally home for good.
She also made a deal with the mailman — Joe — who agreed to take her letters each morning to make sure they made the 2:00 PM mail. Even he noticed how much my dad wrote. He said most men didn’t write like that. She just smiled and said they were in love.
And they were — so much so that they wrote each other nearly every day. There are hundreds of letters in this collection, maybe more. I’ve only just begun reading them, and I’m trying to share their story one letter at a time.
This project is bigger than I expected — and more emotional than I ever imagined. I haven’t had a single supporter yet, but I’m still here, reading and recording daily. If you’re listening, I would truly love to hear from you. Send a message or text just to say hello — or to let me know what you’d like to see beyond the podcast. Would you like scans of the original letters? More photos? A place to talk about the story?
Just knowing someone’s out there walking through it with me would mean the world
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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