During his cow year, Ray met Helen Patricia Robinson, a beautiful young woman from Albion, NY, and began a serious relationship that culminated in their marriage after graduation. Ray was determined to be an Infantry leader and believed that his leadership could best be experienced as an Airborne Infantry commander. In late 1954 and early 1955, he completed the Basic Infantry Officers Course at Ft. Benning, GA, and then both Ranger and Airborne Schools. He then reported to the 11th Airborne Division at Ft. Campbell. In July 1955, he married Pat Robinson, and they began their lives together exactly where he wanted to be: assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 188th Parachute Infantry Regiment, as a platoon leader. Ray was selected by his commander to attend the Jungle Warfare School in Panama, where he was awarded the Jungle Expert Patch for excellence in small unit leadership. In the summer of 1955, the 11th Airborne Division was selected to be the lead element in the Army’s “Operation Gyroscope," designed to transfer the entire division from Ft. Campbell to Germany. Ray and Pat were sent with the 188th to Augsburg, Germany in early 1956. In the summer of 1956, Pat contracted a severe case of uterine cancer and was rushed back to the United States and Walter Reed Army Hospital for extensive treatment. Ray accompanied her, and in August 1956 he was reassigned to the 101st Airborne Division at Ft. Campbell. Ray stayed by her bedside at Walter Reed day and night through four months of very painful treatments, but Pat did not survive. She passed on Nov 7, 1956. Ray's world was shattered, and this proved to be the seminal event that caused his personal illness and eventual separation from the military service that he loved.

A year later, Ray was reassigned to the 3rd Infantry Division in Korea and stationed near the Demilitarized Zone. His personal devastation continued, and he suffered a nervous breakdown. Returned to Walter Reed Army Hospital for extended treatment in early 1958, he spent five years undergoing periodic treatment. Finally, he was honorably discharged in 1964 with a 75% disability. That ended the very promising military career of a magnificent leader. It is a personal tragedy that he was not able to recover from the mental anguish of his wife’s passing. After his separation in 1964, Ray returned to his family in Rochester and attempted to adjust. At this time his brother, Donald Allen, seven years his junior, helped Ray in every possible way. Ray tried to tackle civilian pursuits, but he was an action person and did not take to paperwork jobs. Ray volunteered for and completed several tasks to assist other friends and agencies with projects within the community of Brighton. This lasted for about 30 years, but gradually Ray slipped into more depression and finally passed in his sleep on Nov 3, 2004.

Ray was admired by his classmates and friends. LT James Allison, one of Ray's colleagues in the 188th Parachute Infantry Regiment, said of him, “Ray was an excellent Army officer; always remaining calm and steady—just as he did on the golf course. He was a great example to those who served with him, those who led him, and those who served under him.” Ray dedicated his life to his country and was always ready to help others. Grip Hands.