While most men in the armed forces dread the infamous “Dear John� letter, they shouldn’t fear the “Dear Ellen� letter — as in talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres.
On yesterday morning’s The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Chelmsford resident Michael Santangelo took a seat next to the host known for her impromptu dance antics. Santangelo’s mother, Jackie, wrote DeGeneres an e-mail detailing her son’s soft spot for her and also that he will be leaving for the training next month.
“My 18-year-old son has a sweet crush on you. His girlfriend indulges him because she simply doesn’t believe you’d jump ship for him … On Feb. 28 he leaves for boot camp, then combat training, and then directly to Iraq. I want to do as much fun things with him as possible before he leaves,� she wrote in the e-mail.
Well, DeGeneres didn’t jump ship. She is sending Santangelo and his family on an all-expenses paid seven-day Celebrity Cruise of the Caribbean. She also gave him a laptop computer with WebCam to keep in touch with his family while he’s away and a T-shirt which read “My girlfriend hosts The Ellen DeGeneres Show.�
“I’m happy for you, I’m happy I got to meet you and I want to see you when you come back. You have to come a visit us,� said DeGeneres.

Sorry Michael, I don't think Ellen will dump her hot girlfriend, Portia, for an 18-year-old from the Merrimack Valley. But you can dream right?