Ray keeps his memories close.
Inside his apartment at Courtyard Commons, a Catholic Charities Housing community offering affordable apartments for veterans and seniors, tucked beside family photos and carefully folded papers in a box are reminders of a life most people could never imagine — a Vietnam watch worn through war, combat ribbons, Purple Hearts, a Silver Star and the worn letter he carried overseas decades ago.
At almost 80 years old, Ray still tells his story gently, piece by piece.
“This is my watch from Vietnam,” he says, holding it carefully in his hands. “And here are a couple of knives still intact. I don’t want to share the story behind those.”
Then he points to the medals.
“They only give you one Purple Heart,” he explains. “But every time you receive another one you get a star.”
Ray served multiple tours in Vietnam with the First Infantry Division — the “Big Red One.” His bravery earned some of the military’s highest honors including two Bronze Stars, three Purple Hearts and a Silver Star. One medal, he says almost casually, was pinned to his chest in Vietnam by President Lyndon B. Johnson during a visit to troops overseas.
Because of the stigma surrounding Vietnam veterans at the time, Ray and many others were treated like outsiders. Years after returning home he began experiencing nightmares, sweats and what he describes as “Vietnam in his mind.” Eventually he was removed from his apartment for medical evaluation and treatment.
Over the next several years Ray was treated for PTSD and bipolar disorder. In and out of hospitals, he tried to hold onto hope the best he could. During that season of his life, he taped a quote to his mirror that became a daily reminder to keep moving forward:
“If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.”
When Raywas released from the hospital, rebuilding his life was difficult. He could not find full-time work and survived doing day labor jobs earning $32 a day while staying in an unsafe hotel that cost him $15 a night.
“I just couldn’t get ahead,” Ray recalls.
Then one day, another man working day labor told him about a veteran program at Samaritan House.
That conversation changed everything.
Through Samaritan House, the Catholic Charities shelter in downtown Denver that is celebrating 40 years in 2026, Ray was able to get a bed, begin receiving his VA benefits and start rebuilding stability in his life. It was also where he met the love of his life, Carol.
What began during a difficult chapter became a beautiful partnership. Ray and Carol spent the next 16 happy years together at Courtyard Commons.
“She was beautiful,” Ray says softly while looking at her photo.
Carol passed away in 2020, but Ray still talks about her like she just stepped out of the room.
At Courtyard Commons, Ray became more than a resident. He became a mentor and friend to many incoming veterans. He regularly invites neighbors over for coffee or holiday meals and became someone fellow veterans could turn to when they needed encouragement or simply someone who understood.
For many residents, Ray helped bridge the gap between military life and civilian life again.
“If it were not for the staff at Catholic Charities and the multitude of support and services provided, I am not sure where I would be or how I turned into the man I am.”
Today, after everything he has lived through — war, trauma, loss and hardship — Ray has found peace in community, faith and the relationships built around him at Courtyard Commons.
He shares fond memories of Christmas pasts where he’d dress up as Santa and hand out gifts for the children living at Courtyard Commons.
At Courtyard Commons, one of 31 affordable housing properties operated by Catholic Charities of Denver, there is a community among other veterans who understand parts of his life that are hard to put into words. Some days that means swapping stories. Other days it simply means sitting quietly in the courtyard beside people who understand military service without explanation.
After everything he’s lived through — war, loss and hardship — Ray says he’s grateful to have a place that feels like home.
And in the middle of his apartment, surrounded by memories of service and love, that feeling is easy to see.