where did the saying dear john letter come from
Dear John letter While the exact origins of the phrase are unknown, it is commonly believed to have been coined by Americans during World War II. "John" was the most popular and common baby name for boys in America every single year from 1880 through 1923,[1] making it a reasonable 'placeholder' name when denoting those of age for military service. Large numbers of American troops were stationed overseas for many months or years, and as time passed many of their wives or girlfriends decided to begin a relationship with a new man rather than to wait for the original one to return.[citation needed]
Dear John (2010 film) After his father's funeral, John visits Savannah and learns that she has married Tim, abandoning her dream of a riding camp for autistic kids because of Tim's fight against lymphoma. They enjoy a quiet evening together, eating dinner and are tempted to pick up where they left off years earlier, but do not go through with their feelings, and John leaves. The next day, John goes with Savannah to visit Tim in the hospital, and Tim tells John that Savannah still loves John; she loves him (Tim), too, but not in the same way she loves John - and Tim can see that. John sells all of his father's coin collection (except the valuable mule coin that he found with his father years ago) in order to raise money to help with Tim's cancer treatment. John returns to the military, carrying the mule coin with him as a charm/talisman. He receives a letter from Savannah telling him that Tim died after two months of treatment. John, now a civilian, eventually returns home; while riding his bike in town one day, he sees Savannah at a coffee shop, and they hug.