COMMUNITY PROFILE CREDIT: GILES CLASEN CHARTING A NEW COURSE BY GILES CLASEN PAUL IS A MAN WHO CAN’T ESCAPE HIS PAST, even as he pushes to move forward and climb out of homelessness. “I’ve got a lot of regrets,” Paul said. “You know, going back, looking back doesn’t do you any good. You got to keep on keeping on, but it isn’t easy when those regrets of your past keep getting in the way of any possible future.” The mistakes that keep him trapped and without options are two felony convictions. These limit his opportunities to find a job and housing. Paul said the first strike against him was because of alcohol. He started drinking at a young age, and his habit grew slowly, becoming a problem before he realized what was happening. He joined the Army in 1984, right out of high school and worked his way up the ranks. He joined the Special Forces at the beginning of the Gulf War in 1990, and he didn’t like what he saw in the United States, once he was deployed. “The United States runs around the world claiming to do good, but I saw it. I saw us imposing our will on other countries,” Paul said. “We’re actually the terrorists of the world, in a lot of ways. We’re going around the world taking CREDIT: GILES CLASEN 6 DENVER VOICE March 2023
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