The Allgoods: Vietnam Through the Eyes of Love
In 1971, two young Air Force veterans — Richard and Sarah Allgood — found themselves separated by the Vietnam War, yet connected through hundreds of heartfelt letters.
Decades later, after their passing, their daughter discovered a preserved box of their correspondence: a story of love, family, courage, and hope written one letter at a time.
The Allgoods: Vietnam Through the Eyes of Love shares these personal letters, weaving a timeless narrative of war, separation, and enduring devotion. Join us as we honor their legacy and explore how even in the hardest times, love finds a way.
If you'd like to support the show and help keep these letters alive, visit: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2489476/support
Episodes
142 episodes
July 16, 1971 – Sleepy Warm and Counting the Days
In this letter from July 16, 1971, Captain Dick Allgood writes from Vietnam with his usual mix of steady affection and quiet urgency. He reassures Sarah that he’s still writing every single day — even if the mail isn’t reaching her — and respon...
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Season 3
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Episode 32
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6:02
July 16, 1971 – “Wittle Girl Weekend” and a Bell System Strike
In this tender letter from July 16, 1971, Sarah is feeling raw, restless, and deeply in need of connection. After a day of sunshine and swimming with friends, she comes home to six letters from Vietnam — and a wave of emotion she can’t quite ou...
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Season 3
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Episode 31
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5:47
July 15, 1971: Six I Love You’s and a Future in Miami
This is the second letter Dick Allgood wrote to Sarah on July 15, 1971 — and in it, he tells her “I love you” six times. It’s heartfelt, direct, and full of plans for the future. He’s thinking ahead to their upcoming move to Miami, coordinating...
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Season 3
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Episode 30
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3:27
July 15, 1971: Writing Through the Distance, Loving Through the Fog
This letter from July 15, 1971 was written by my dad, Captain Dick Allgood, from Vietnam to my mom, Sarah, back home in San Antonio. It’s soft, steady, and full of love — the kind of love that makes plans, sends letters ahead to new addresses, ...
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Season 3
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Episode 29
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5:18
July 15, 1971: The Club Card, the Gossip, and the Countdown
In this letter from July 15, 1971, my mom is doing what she did best — keeping it all together. She writes to my dad about a busy day filled with errands, phone calls, time with friends, and dinner at the Officer’s Club. There’s some tension in...
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Season 3
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Episode 28
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4:26
July 14, 1971: A Full Day, a Quiet Fear, and a Balcony Fall
On July 14, 1971, Sarah Allgood writes to her husband Dick from San Antonio, sharing a full day in vivid, personal detail — from a pregnancy scare and cravings to her upcoming trip to Miami, a phone call from her old hospital, and even a distur...
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Season 3
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Episode 27
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9:42
July 13, 1971: The Best Kind of Love
In this short but powerful letter, my dad writes from Vietnam about what truly matters in life — and what doesn’t.“My work and your thoughts on it will make our lives and our happiness,” he writes. “Money is not the key. Love ...
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Season 3
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Episode 27
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5:05
July 13, 1971: Breakfast, Bikinis, and Eight Pages of Love
This letter was written 54 years ago , and it’s one of the longest ones yet — eight full pages of life, longing, and love.My mom was in San Antonio, a few weeks away from visiting her friend Judy in Miami. But instead of picki...
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Season 3
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Episode 26
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8:40
July 12, 1971 – Five Letters for One Love
On July 12, 1971, Captain Dick Allgood mailed five separate letters from Vietnam—all in one night—just to share a handful of candid helicopter photos with the woman he loved more than life itself.The pictures were a surprise g...
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Season 3
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Episode 25
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3:57
July 12, 1971: Stereo, Snapshots, and So Much Love
On July 12, 1971, Captain Dick Allgood writes the first of five letters to his wife, Sarah. It’s the day she’s officially discharged from the U.S. Air Force, and he fills the page with excitement, tenderness, and pride.He tell...
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Season 3
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Episode 24
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8:13
July 12, 1971: The Luckiest Girl Alive
In this letter, my mom writes, “I’m the luckiest girl alive.” And reading it now, I believe her. If someone loved me the way my dad loved her — I’d feel like the luckiest girl alive too.She had just received two letters and a ...
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Season 3
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Episode 23
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7:54
July 11, 1971: Apple Juice, Hip Huggers & Showing Up
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 touc...
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Season 3
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Episode 22
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6:42
July 11, 1971: A Great Big Pile of Love
This letter is pure devotion. My dad had just gotten off the phone with my mom after finally reaching her — the lines in Vietnam had been down all day, and he was antsy, pacing, waiting to hear her voice. But once he did, something opened up in...
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Season 3
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Episode 21
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5:25
July 10, 1971: No One Makes Waffles Like You Do
In this letter from July 10, 1971, my mom wakes up craving waffles — but my dad isn’t there to make them. So she goes to Oscar’s with a friend instead. It’s such a small moment, but it says so much.My dad wasn’t just a romanti...
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Season 3
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Episode 20
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5:31
July 10, 1971: Letters, Lust, and Logistics
This letter is such a snapshot of who my dad was. Written from Vietnam on July 10, 1971, it moves fast — from longing and sex to plane tickets and savings accounts — and somehow it all makes sense. That was my dad: wildly in love with my mom an...
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Season 3
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Episode 19
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6:56
July 9, 1971: Friendship, Cherry Cheesecake, and 60 Days to Go
In this letter from July 9, 1971, Sarah leans into the lifelines that are getting her through: her deep love for Dick, the baby growing inside her, and the women around her who keep showing up. From cherry cheesecake and grocery runs to tearful...
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Season 3
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Episode 18
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7:04
July 9, 1971: Miss Your Lover, as Your Lover Misses You
In this letter from July 9, 1971, Dick writes from Vietnam with tenderness, apology, and longing. He’s on alert again, soaking up sun on the roof, trying to pass the time—but what’s really on his mind is Sarah.He congratulates...
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Season 3
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Episode 19
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4:20
July 8, 1971: Daddy of Your Babies, Reporting From the War
On July 8, 1971, my dad was on alert again — another day of waiting, paperwork, and passing time. But in the middle of it, he sat down to write to my mom. This letter is tender, grounded, and a little raw, filled with his signature blend of blu...
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Season 3
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Episode 17
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5:41
July 8, 1971: Dreaming of Miami
On July 8, 1971, my mom was just starting to imagine a new kind of life. She had left the Air Force behind and was writing from San Antonio, pregnant with me and dreaming about where she and my dad might end up. In this letter, she asks her fri...
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Season 3
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Episode 16
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5:30
July 7, 1971: Writing Her Keeps Him Whole
In this letter from July 7, 1971, Captain Dick Allgood writes to his wife, Sarah, from Vietnam, just after receiving three of her letters — one written on Thursday and two on Friday, the day of her farewell party.He talks thro...
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Season 3
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Episode 15
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5:11
July 7, 1971: Big Speakers, Bigger Heart
My dad could always sniff out a good deal—and he was pretty proud of the pair of giant speakers he picked up at the BX in Vietnam for a steal. He didn’t have anything to play through them yet, but that didn’t stop him from planning for the life...
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Season 3
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Episode 14
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5:34
July 7, 1971: Discharged, Dependent, and Deep in Love
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 c...
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Season 3
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Episode 13
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5:36
July 6, 1971: Friends in Low and High Places
It’s Sarah’s last full day of work in the Air Force, and everyone shows up to send her off. From enlisted techs to commissioned officers, they take her to the NCO Club, buy her beer, and give her a card that makes her cry. She drinks more than ...
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Season 3
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Episode 12
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7:44
July 5, 1971: Lipstick Before Bed
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 De...
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Season 3
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Episode 11
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7:19
“The Miles Are Getting Closer: July 5, 1971”
n today’s letter from July 5, 1971, my dad writes from Vietnam after a full day on alert—“no real action or excitement,” he says. But I can’t help wondering if that’s the truth, or just the version he was allowed—or willing—to share....
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Season 3
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Episode 10
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5:52