June 18, 1971: Love, on Toasted Bread
Send us a text In this letter from June 18, 1971, my mom, Sarah, is having a quiet day in San Antonio. She’s pregnant, seepy, and missing my dad in all the little ways — especially his cooking. She tries to recreate one of his signature breakfast sandwiches — bacon, eggs, cheese, lettuce, tomato — but admits it’s just not the same. “Mine get soggy,” she writes. “Yours never did.” That one line hits me. Because years later, after Vietnam and his time in commercial finance, my dad opened Al...
In this letter from June 18, 1971, my mom, Sarah, is having a quiet day in San Antonio. She’s pregnant, seepy, and missing my dad in all the little ways — especially his cooking.
She tries to recreate one of his signature breakfast sandwiches — bacon, eggs, cheese, lettuce, tomato — but admits it’s just not the same. “Mine get soggy,” she writes. “Yours never did.”
That one line hits me. Because years later, after Vietnam and his time in commercial finance, my dad opened Allgood’s Bar & Grill in Big Sky, Montana. He ran it for 18 years. It wasn’t just a restaurant — it was a community landmark. The kind of place where his recipes, and his way of making people feel seen, turned meals into memories.
He was awarded the U.S. Air Medal for his rescue missions in Vietnam, and decades later, the Montana Congressional Veteran Commendation for continuing to serve others long after his time in uniform.
But in this moment — in 1971 — he was just her husband. The one who made the perfect sandwich. The one she missed too much to go out with friends. The one she hoped might call that night.
This letter is a quiet portrait of longing, love, and the beginnings of a legacy that would one day feed far more than just 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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