Home
Posted By: g5m "Dear John" letters - 12/05/21
How many here got at least one?
Posted By: wabigoon Re: "Dear John" letters - 12/05/21
No girl friend to send one to me!!!!
Posted By: PJGunner Re: "Dear John" letters - 12/06/21
Only once. Took leave to take her to her senior prom. Went up on Twin Peaks (San Francisco) to see the lights and I literally got raped. After returning to the base I saw I had to clean up some blood.
About three days later I got a short note saying, "I don't think we should see each other anymore." Her mother never did like me and her daddy would growl at me when he saw me. Guess they finally convinced her I was up to no good. About a year later when I was home on leave before leaving for Korea I tried to call her. Mama answered the phone and when I asked for her said, "My daughter is a married woman." I've always wondered if mommy and daddy arranged for a quicky marriage because there was a bun in the oven.
Paul B.
Posted By: 260Remguy Re: "Dear John" letters - 12/06/21
I did. Saw my GF between Christmas and New Years 1980. We talked about her going to grad school at KSU in Manhatten, KS, after she graduated with a BS in 05/81. I got the "I still love you, but I've met someone else" letter in 03/81.

She married the guy and they have3 kids and 7 or 8 grandchildren last time I heard.
Posted By: Dinny Re: "Dear John" letters - 12/06/21
I got one of sorts. My gf was killed in a car accident while I was in basic training. My parents sent the letter because they couldn't reach my unit while we were conducting field training. That was 1994.
Posted By: OGB Re: "Dear John" letters - 12/16/21
Girl I got engaged to before shipping to Korea didn't send a der John per say. She just stopped correspondence all together. Flew home on mid tour without telling anyone. Walked to her house from the airport. Her Dad met me at the door with a "Sorry Son" look. Had her drive me home (my parent's house) in silence. Found out she found someone more available. She wound up having a couple of kids from a couple of different dudes, at least one (out of wedlock) while married to someone else. Dodged a bullet on that one!
Posted By: g5m Re: "Dear John" letters - 12/19/21
Originally Posted by Dinny
I got one of sorts. My gf was killed in a car accident while I was in basic training. My parents sent the letter because they couldn't reach my unit while we were conducting field training. That was 1994.


That is a very bad one.
Posted By: oldwoody2 Re: "Dear John" letters - 01/30/22
I went thru Air Force Basic in June-July 0f 1962. The guy who marched in front of me (always out of step) received the first letter that arrived, before we had a chance to give our detailed address to people back home. His letter was a DEAR JOHN !!! He was also the first guy to be set back !!!!
Posted By: elkmen1 Re: "Dear John" letters - 04/15/22
Got mine right after I got out ot Tripler Army Center, in 68. Wasn't a surprise I knew that she had been messing around. Met another, later that summer and we were together until she passed in 98. For some reason another old girl attached herself to me in 2000 and we have been together since. We are both in the last quarter of our time here, it's been a great ride
Posted By: MAC Re: "Dear John" letters - 04/27/22
Only got one from a girlfriend and I was ready to kick her to the curb anyway so it was all good.
Posted By: bobski Re: "Dear John" letters - 04/30/22
had one. she thought she was some catch, but little did she know i already wrote her off. those ca girls are nuts.
Posted By: hunting1 Re: "Dear John" letters - 05/03/22
I got mine after basic, hurt at the time but was a blessing.
Posted By: gila_dog Re: "Dear John" letters - 09/30/22
I got one. My first real girlfriend, pretty, smart, I was definitely in love. She had gone off to college for her first time away from home. 10 days later my ship is headed for Vietnam (1968) and when we got to Hawaii we got some mail. I got a letter and was all excited to open and read it. But instead of kisses and how much she missed me and other happy stuff, I found that we weren't right for each other. She wished me luck. Bye. I took my letter up to the catwalk along the edge of the flight deck and tore it up and let the wind blow it away. My 19 yr old heart was busted flat. I had 8 months of sea duty ahead of me, no chance of finding a new girl friend. Nothing but hookers in Olongapo or Sasebo. Thanks to them I at least had a little bit of fun. But it sure ain't the same. About 8 months later when we were getting ready to come home I get another letter from her. She's looking forward to seeing me! When will I be coming home on leave? etc, etc. By then my busted heart was hard as a rock toward her. It took a while but she faded into the past. I found out that the dude she dumped me for dumped her. hee hee hee.
Posted By: Seafire Re: "Dear John" letters - 10/04/23
When your first name is John, like me... all your mail is Dear John.... whistle

In high school and college, the first several women I fell in love with, moved on...

it hit me hard at the time.

but on the growing up front... it was the best thing that ever happened to me..

I was too trusting and loyal in my younger years.
Posted By: kwg020 Re: "Dear John" letters - 10/04/23
Not a deer John per say. I had a girlfriend in San Antonio when i got orders for Alaska. We wrote pretty regular for about 3 or 4 months then suddenly they letters just stopped. The last one I sent I got no reply. I was stuck in Alaska for another 14 months so that was the end of that.

kwg
Posted By: Redhairy Re: "Dear John" letters - 12/10/23
I never got a dear John letter but I have kind of a funny break up story. I was one of those young and dumb privates that got engaged after I graduated basic. I started to realize that I could do better. So I decided I was going to break up with her before we went out in the field. I finally got the balls to do it on April 1st. She started to ball her eyes out over the phone so I just said April fools cause I felt bad. Well once we were out in the field we didn’t have our phones. I had a lot of time to talk to my gunner and he said if your hearts not in it call off the wedding which was in 3 months. So once we got back to tiger land I called her and broke up with her. It didn’t go over well. Her family wouldn’t stop calling and texting so I blocked all them. They were calling my family and my parents just told them that hey he’s an adult and out of the house.i don’t regret it one bit. I enjoyed the final two years of my contract single. I came home and married a beautiful big booty woman who I have a kid with now.
Posted By: JTrapper73 Re: "Dear John" letters - 12/10/23
Originally Posted by Redhairy
I never got a dear John letter but I have kind of a funny break up story. I was one of those young and dumb privates that got engaged after I graduated basic. I started to realize that I could do better. So I decided I was going to break up with her before we went out in the field. I finally got the balls to do it on April 1st. She started to ball her eyes out over the phone so I just said April fools cause I felt bad. Well once we were out in the field we didn’t have our phones. I had a lot of time to talk to my gunner and he said if your hearts not in it call off the wedding which was in 3 months. So once we got back to tiger land I called her and broke up with her. It didn’t go over well. Her family wouldn’t stop calling and texting so I blocked all them. They were calling my family and my parents just told them that hey he’s an adult and out of the house.i don’t regret it one bit. I enjoyed the final two years of my contract single. I came home and married a beautiful big booty woman who I have a kid with now.

Sounds like you dodged a bullet on that one!
Posted By: wabigoon Re: "Dear John" letters - 12/12/23
As in baseball, some of the trades you don't make, are the best.
Posted By: elkmen1 Re: "Dear John" letters - 01/22/24
Got my letter from her attorney in the spring of 68 while I was in Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii. I was recovering from an injury in Vietnam, the letter came in a pile of letters that had been forwarded there from in country. My hurt was diminished by a very nice school teacher who's brother was in the bed next to me. She sort of took me under her wing (bed sheets) for several months after I was released from the hospital
Posted By: Bugger Re: "Dear John" letters - 01/22/24
My buddy was from Canada. He had a college degree but the Marines wouldn’t let him go through OCS. He tried for force recon. He was qualified, but they didn’t want a Canadian in Force Recon, they said. He wanted 0300 MOS. They gave him 4000 MOS. He did the worst possible in the final class - got a perfect 0 right.
They kept him in 4000 anyhow. He got his fiancée’s name tattooed on his arm. The ink wasn’t dry when he got “Dear John”.
He left the Marines that day. Went back to Canada he did.
Posted By: 450Fuller Re: "Dear John" letters - 01/22/24
A sadder tale from Quang Tri and Khe Sanh was the SGT who got a "dear John" with a graphic portrayal -(who took the picture?).
He went to the arms room, checked out a .45-then shot himself. Know another LT who got the same type of letter, but handled it better.
My contempt for that level of female knows no bounds.

Human nature is extremely beyond the pale these days...my Force Recon E-5 bud heard that I received an Army commission
and was headed for Special Forces after parachute school. He was convinced I would not make the cut. MACVSOG-CCN is a tough way to
get combat time and prove him wrong.
© 24hourcampfire