Raynold A. Gauvin

Born to a blended Canadian and American family, Ray grew up in Northern Maine with a rich heritage of Acadian culture. However, his childhood was not all roses. He grew up navigating between speaking French at home and English at school. His academic achievement being less than spectacular, his failure was attributed to his bilingualism and he struggled in school for many years. It wasn’t until he was in his 60’s that he learned later he had also been battling with dyslexia. Fortunately, Gauvin discovered early on that he had a talent for entrepreneurship. He began his first ‘business’ in elementary school, providing snacks for construction workers for a profit. After returning home from Vietnam, Ray used his work ethic and business acumen to become a successful business man, fundraiser for nonprofits, and philanthropist.

Ray decided to write this book in order to provide information about his participation in a formerly classified mission and how that experience affected him both physically and mentally for the rest of his life. It talks about what his life was like as a child, his military responsibilities later on, and his life upon return to civilian life. He talks about his success and his demons, his memories – both good and bad, and what can happen to a man when faced with the horrors of war. Ray has helped many Vietnam veterans get the veterans benefits for themselves and their families. He continues to have bouts of PTSD, but he now has the tools to deal with it. He helped one veteran who had gotten cancer from using the Agent Orange barrels as showers to receive the financial help that he and his family needed. He helped another veteran get help for his PTSD and live a more peaceful life.