Writing ‘Reflections’ after suffering loss

Writing about the effects of life’s trials and tribulations on a person is a method for some that helps deal with the loss of loved ones. And Raquel “Raqui” Ramsey, Filipina widow of Col. Edwin P. Ramsey, 26th Cavalry, Philippine Scout and guerrilla leader in the Philippines after the Japanese attacked there at the same time of its attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, has written a journal-like book about her marriage to him, her relationship with his sister, Nadine, and the resulting heartfelt pain and grief of their deaths.

Ed led an attack against the Japanese in the last cavalry charge in the U.S. Army, and then went out into the jungle and led 40,000 guerrillas until the end of the war. She says he “swept her off of the feet” when they met in Manila years later and were married for 34 “glorious years” before he died.

“Reflections” by Raquel Ramsey is available at Amazon.com.

On the day of his death, March 7, 2013, “the saddest day of my life,” she writes, “he took my hand at 3 a.m. and said to me, ‘You and me,’ pointing to our wedding photo. She held his hand tightly and said, “Go back to sleep,” not realizing he was saying goodbye until her housekeeper called and said he was still sleeping. He had already died.  

She was teaching English at Beverly Hills High School in California at the time, soon retired from the classroom after 50 years and spent her time dealing with his death by supporting and promoting this legendary World War II Army officer who received the Distinguished Service Cross for his efforts. Many think it should have been the Medal of Honor for his guerrilla leadership in the Philippine jungle until the end of the war. He wrote about his experiences until the end of the war in “Lieutenant Ramsey’s War.” Raqui has helped with marketing the book since 1990, which continues to sell well, and served as the executive producer of the documentary, “Never Surrender: The Ed Ramsey Story,” that premiered at the Simon Rosenthal Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles on Nov. 13, 2016.

Throughout the years before his death until he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, and up to the present, Raqui has continued working to keep his memory alive, attending ceremonies and accepting awards while writing poems and collecting many photos and memories that are in her recently published book, all of which has helped her deal with his death and says, “Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, but love leaves a memory no one can steal.”

One of her most touching and poignant poems is titled, “I Dream of Ed.” “What is a dream?” she asks. “An illusion created by your imagination; or something that happened a long time ago but reveals itself again in your mind” and continues to remember dreams of “feel(ing) him beside me, always guiding and helping me face my challenges.”

But she didn’t just face the loss of Ed and Nadine, who died on Feb. 16, 1997. He had asked Raqui to write a book about his sister, so she co-wrote Nadine’s story, “Taking Flight: The Nadine Ramsey Story,” and is also the executive producer of the corresponding documentary by the same title that is scheduled to premiere at the Museum of Tolerance on Nov. 16 this year, just as Ed’s was nearly 10 years ago.

Nadine was one of the 1,100 flyers in the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) who ferried planes around the United States from 1942-44 for the military, even though these women couldn’t fly outside the country, weren’t given military status, and weren’t given military honors when they died in service, which 78 did. They finally received recognition during the Obama administration after most of them, including Nadine, had died. 

With both books and documentary films wrapped up, Raqui published “Reflections” and continued supporting the “legacy of Ed and Nadine Ramsey, doing book signings and media appearances all around the country.” The book is divided into eight chapters: “My Love Story,” “My Devotion to Blessed Mother Mary,” “My Wonderful Life,” “Retirement,” “Love of Country,” “My Mission/My Writing,” “Poems and Verses to Shizuko Greenblatt on her Art” and “My Remembrances of Family and Friends.”

In “Reflections,” she shares original poems and stories that express her own feelings and relates stories about family and friends and life with Ed. The many photos reflect these connections and the happiness they all felt about each other.

So this book is truly a catharsis for Raqui, who has given years of her life valiantly preserving her family’s bold and heroic legacies. And now she is poised to look at what’s ahead for her own story, her own legacy. True to her nature, she also looks to help encourage others to deal with loss in life.

In conclusion, she says to readers, “Writing this book helped me heal, and I hope it helps you, too, in any adversity you face in life as you handle loss and sorrow with strength from God’s grace and Mother Mary’s intercession.”