Deanna Hoak

I’ve been thinking about losses today–mine and those of other families.

My dad, whom I miss so much, died at 56 from cancer caused by the Agent Orange he was exposed to in Vietnam–he worked on planes that sprayed it. Several of my uncles also served in that war.

My mom’s dad fought in WWII and couldn’t talk about it for crying.

My husband was deployed twice–once when our daughter was less than two, and once when she was five, and our son a toddler.

I support our veterans; I often don’t support the governmental decision to spend their lives, or have them take others’ lives, or the policies that leave them at risk when they come home. We can do better.