At Ease, Soldier: A Vietnam Veteran uses Death with Dignity: Juanita Ramsey-Jevne

June 19th, 2019  |  1 hr 14 mins

carleena angwin, death with dignity, hospice, juanita ramsey-jevne, marine corps, marines, prostate cancer, raising arizona, the carleena show, vietnam veteran, vietnam war

When Juanita Ramsey met her future husband in 1986, the Vietnam War was to her long over. She soon learned that to marry a soldier was to marry his war. Bill Jevne served as a Marine Corps platoon commander in Vietnam. The memories were burned in his mind. The poison of Agent Orange had colonized his cells.

When his prostate cancer became terminal, he used the Death with Dignity option. "Our first date began with a story of these young men getting killed. And our last hours ended with him, still a platoon commander, calling his remaining members and telling them: 'I'm going to be dying in about an hour, and I want to say goodbye to you.'"

Juanita Ramsey-Jevne now gives workshops on end-of-life options, embracing death to enhance life, grieving, and writing.