Veteran's Day

My dad died two years, one month, and two days ago after fighting multiple myeloma for over four years. They believe his cancer was due to agent orange exposure in Vietnam, before I was born. Three years ago tonight, he sent out this email to his family and close friends:

Veteran's Day issues will always be troubling for me, I guess. The letter I've attached gets it right.

It's a letter that Amy sent to the editor of our local newspaper, THE OREGONIAN.

I wanted to share it with you because of I'm so proud of her.

Attitude is everything!

Eric Hooker

Here is the letter I had written:

VETERAN’S DAY

When I was a child, the significance of Veteran’s Day was that there was no school—a happy day for kids. As the years passed, I began to think more about those veterans that had lost their lives in service and began to take it more seriously, though I didn’t really know how to acknowledge its importance. My great grandfather fought in WWI. His first son, my Grandpa, fought in WWII, and his son, my Pop, fought in Vietnam. Thankfully, they each came home from their respective wars. It is only because of this fact that I am here today. I am grateful for their lives, my own, and the lives of everyone else they have touched. Still, I was never quite sure how to “celebrate” Veteran’s Day. A couple of years ago, I finally asked my dad, “So, what should I say? ‘Happy Veteran’s Day’ just doesn’t sound right.” He told me that the best thing to say was simply, “Thank you.”

This Veteran’s Day, my Pop is preparing to have a stem cell transplant. He has Multiple Myeloma, a particularly nasty blood-related cancer. It is now known that this and other forms of cancer are most likely related to exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. He has not been responding to chemotherapy, and this procedure is his last hope for remission. It is also very dangerous and has a high mortality rate. I admire his courage and determination in the face of this, and wish that I shared his faith that everything is going to be okay. To me, it feels like a game of Russian Roulette that he is being forced to play, and I am terrified. His conviction is “Attitude is everything”, and I pray that he is right.

So, in honor of Veteran’s Day, I thank him for his selfless service. While my grandpa was celebrated as a hero when he returned home, my dad was ridiculed. The war in Vietnam took many American lives, and continues to today. I write this in hopes that those reading will remember to say “Thank you” to all the veterans you know, and to send all of your prayers, good thoughts, and healing energy to my Pop, and all of the other Vietnam vets who continue to fight for their lives.


Amy Watson
Portland, OR


Right now, my Gramma, his dad, is nearing his 89th birthday and already planning his 90th birthday party. He is madly in love with a fantastic woman he had been married to for the past 6 years. He was recently diagnosed with esophageal cancer and is going to radiation 5 days a week for the next 7 weeks. He served his country with pride, and knows that he was a good soldier. One of the defining times of his life was having his outfit chosen to land on Utah Beach on D-Day and going on to liberate Paris. Tonight I called him simply to say, "Thank you."