LINTHICUM, MD, August 3, 2020— NFM Lending is pleased to honor retired Navy SEAL, Ray “Cash” Care, as the NFM Salute for September 2020.
Care is no stranger to adversity; it is a force that has shaped him his entire life. When Care was just eleven years old, his father was murdered. As a teenager, Care struggled with substance abuse, anger, and emotional pain. “I did a self-reflection drill at 19 and realized I was turning into the man that was murdered… Right then and there [was] one of the first of what I call ‘gut checks’ in my life. Those pinnacle moments where I said now is the time to change me. And that's what I did.” His life changed forever when he joined the Navy in 1992 and learned about Navy SEALs. Looking for a challenge, Care became determined to become one.
Care achieved his goal of becoming a SEAL in 1995. Out of the 138 people in his class, only 16 completed the training. Care recalls the hardest moment of BUD training being the 50-meter breath hold. “I can't lie. I was scared. I was watching people pass out, black out. My turn to go, I went, I failed the first time. They get you out of the water and they literally let you just go do it again…Sometimes you have to step up or step off. [It] was one of those gut checks. And here I am, obviously you know the result. Once you accomplish something like that in your life, the mindset that you have is ‘I can do anything’. That was one of the pinnacle moments in my life when I said, ‘Nothing can stop me.’”
From there, his military career took him on multiple tours of duty and overseas missions as a member of SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team Two (SDV-2). He survived a mortar attack during one mission in Iraq, which he describes as being “one of the most traumatic/inspirational” days of his life. The SEALs gave Care an unbreakable community and emboldened him to fight through fear and pain. After 12 years of serving in the Navy, Care left the SEALs in 2004 to work on assignment for the CIA, which he did for 14 years.
Care has not slowed down since re-entering civilian life. He founded CONQUER, a leadership and team-building training program. Using the skills and techniques he learned in the military, Care helps people improve their physical fitness and mental endurance. Other programs he is involved in include LTD Project, which gives businesses the tools to work more efficiently, and The Project, a 75-hour bootcamp intensive. He also cohosts a podcast called The Overcome and Conquer Show, where he interviews inspiring individuals who have overcome challenges in their lives. Care lives in Virginia Beach, VA with his wife Tricia and their daughter Nyla. Their son, Michael, is following his father’s military tradition and currently serves in the U.S. Air Force.
According to Care, being a SEAL is all about attitude, and believes anyone can harness that same mentality to improve their lives. “Family, fitness, finance and faith; my four F-bombs to success. I put family at the top and I put faith at the bottom. Faith is the foundation of everything. Faith is not religion. You wanna be successful, it starts with you. Believe in yourself. Get up every morning like you won the lottery and attack life,” says Care.
NFM Salute is an initiative in which one military member or Veteran is chosen each month to be honored as the “Salute of the Month.” Salutes are chosen from nominations on the NFM Salute website, www.nfmsalute.com. The “Salute of the Month” will be featured on the website with a biography and information about his or her service, and NFM Lending will donate to a military or Veteran non-profit in the Salute’s name.
NFM Lending is proud to donate $2,500 to Gary Sinise Foundation on behalf of Care. NFM looks forward to the opportunity to continue to honor military and Veterans through the NFM Salute initiative.
About NFM Lending
NFM Lending is a mortgage lending company currently licensed in 41 states in the U.S. The company was founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 1998. NFM Lending and its family of companies includes Main Street Home Loans, BluPrint Home Loans, and Freedmont Mortgage Group. They attribute their success in the mortgage industry to their steadfast commitment to customers and the community. NFM Lending has firmly planted itself in the home loan marketplace as “America’s Common Sense Residential Mortgage Lender.” For more information about NFM Lending, visit www.nfmlending.com, like our Facebook page, or follow us on Instagram.
