OPERATIONS MANAGER | HOUSING CASE MANAGER
Raymond was raised in Billings, Montana then joined the Army after High School in 2001 as an Airborne Infantryman. Raymond was in Basic Training on 9/11. Upon graduating Basic Training he went to Bco. 1/504 PIR in Fort Bragg, NC. While there he deployed once to Afghanistan (02-03) and once to Iraq in the Al Anbar Province (03-04). From there Raymond went to Baker Co. 3/509th ABN in Fort Richardson, Alaska. While there he deployed back to Iraq and back to the exact same spots in the Al Anbar Province (06-07). After Raymond’s 3 deployments he was selected to be a Drill Sergeant. After completing Drill Sergeant School he was assigned to Aco 2/58 INF in Fort Benning, Georgia. After 3 years as a Drill Sergeant Raymond had disc replacement surgery in his lower back and then was assigned to be the NCOIC of the Airborne Hold on Sand Hill. Raymond was then assigned to HHC 1-63 in Fort Riley, Kansas as the HHC HQ Platoon Sergeant. The year spent at Fort Riley Raymond went through the Medical Evaluation Board process and was then Medically Retired in 2013 after 12 years of service.
After Raymond’s time in the Army he moved to Auburn, California and work for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Sacramento, CA as a Peer Support Specialist. He worked that job for about 3 years helping other Veterans with PTSD and other Mental Health conditions by facilitating many Support Groups. Raymond was struggling with his own PTSD at the time and the work became to much so he stepped away and went to Truck Driving School where he got his Class A license. He drove Semis for about 10 months, still not addressing his demons, and decided to finally take care of himself. Raymond went to the Men’s Trauma Recovery Program for 4 months of inpatient treatment. While in MTRP Raymond learned a lot about himself and how to manage his symptoms and really saved his life. Raymond then took a little over a year off from working and focused on his health, both physically and mentally. Raymond dove deep into Road Biking, Mountain Biking, and other Sports. Raymond then decided that he had enough tools to re-enter the workforce. He went back to the Department of Veteran Affairs to work as a Peer Support Specialist. An opportunity opened up for Raymond at the Columbia Basin Veterans Center so he moved to the Tri-Cities in September of 2020. Raymond is very Honored to work at CBVC and to continue giving back to the Veterans Community