“The Wooden Box: July 3, 1971”
Send us a text This letter from my dad, written on July 3, 1971, is full of tenderness, memory, and quiet ache. He’s writing from Vietnam — still on alert, still in danger — but what he talks about is baking brownies, missing my mom, and planning where to send her letters when she travels to Miami. He turned down a regular commission with the Air Force — a stable, lifelong career — because he never wanted to be separated from her again. That’s the kind of love they had. In this letter, he...
This letter from my dad, written on July 3, 1971, is full of tenderness, memory, and quiet ache. He’s writing from Vietnam — still on alert, still in danger — but what he talks about is baking brownies, missing my mom, and planning where to send her letters when she travels to Miami.
He turned down a regular commission with the Air Force — a stable, lifelong career — because he never wanted to be separated from her again. That’s the kind of love they had.
In this letter, he mentions a little wooden box he made to store her letters. I’m holding that very box now — the same one I found all of their letters in, decades later. It’s hard to believe that after all these years, I can hold what they held, touch what they touched.
And some nights — like this one — I realize I’m still grieving them. I have a good partner. I’ve built a full life. But the kind of love they shared… I don’t know anyone else who has it.
My dad also talks about cooking in this letter — another thread that ran through his whole life. After Vietnam, after commercial finance and real estate, he opened Allgood Bar & Grill because he loved it so much. That’s who he was.
If you’re listening, thank you for being part of this journey. These letters show me who my parents really were — not just to each other, but to the world.
💌
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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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