As a graduate of the University of Michigan with a degree in exercise science, Raphael Corley found himself working as an assistant with the San Diego Chargers. Both of his parents had passed away when he was younger, but he drew strength and inspiration from his Godfather, who had served as a Navy Corpsman. He was his mentor, surrogate parent, and role model. Corley was looking for direction that would provide him structure and discipline. His Godfather believed that he could benefit from joining the military. 

On 31 August 2005, Corley joined the Navy as a Hospital Corpsman, emulating his Godfather. As a Corpsman, he could perform a variety of medical duties, including medical exams, patient care, records keeping, and other perfunctory medical tasks. During training, however, Corley learned of the advanced Recon Corpsman profession – a highly trained specialty of the Hospital Corpsman field.

Recon school further educates Corpsmen to be prepared to operate in a combat environment. A Recon Corpsman is a highly trained medical professional who works with Marine Corps Reconnaissance Units and other Special Operational units. The truth was Corley had hoped to be a Navy SEAL but was classified as a Non-Qualified Swimmer. Through the mentorship of a senior officer, he was accepted into, and successfully passed Recon Corpsman training, where he would serve alongside Marine Corps Reconnaissance Units and Seal Teams.

Corley’s training prepared him to provide advanced medical care and trauma management, but nothing could prepare him for war. His first deployment seemed simple enough: accompany a SEAL Team as they burned down poppy fields in Afghanistan to disrupt the source of income for insurgents. However, it was a follow-up deployment that would shape his life forever.

Originally deployed with the 3^rd Marine Division in Iraq in 2006, Corley was notified that he was to join SEAL Team 3 in Fallujah to relieve an injured corpsman in order to continue their mission. Upon arrival, he learned that the corpsman had passed away from his injuries. More troubling was that it was someone he trained with in boot camp and served with. Yet, Corley had to focus on the task at hand.

When in combat, corpsmen are trained to run towards the action to help the wounded, often risking their own lives to do so. As difficult as it was to continue, Corley courageously accomplished his duties, which included retrieving intel, computers, and recover civilians killed and wounded in the conflict.

Later, though the Navy sent a casualty assistance officer to notify the family, Corley undertook one of his most difficult tasks and visited the family of his deceased friend. This event helped shape the path that he would follow. After eight years of service, Corley returned to school to focus on helping others, particularly those with PTSD and now serves his community as a therapist.