Photo By Malcolm McClendon | Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Gabriel Aldana and Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Rafie Solis...... read more read more
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For many, the uniform represents a choice, a career path, or a sense of duty. But for one sailor, who navigated a childhood marked by struggle and abuse, the U.S. Navy offered a lifeline.
Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Rafie Solis’ journey from homelessness to a career of helping others and, ultimately, inspiring her own son to follow in her footsteps, is the story of her resilience, determination, and the transformative power of serving in the military.
“My childhood was far from easy. At just 15 I followed my then husband to South Carolina and gave birth to our firstborn at 16,” Solis said. “Not only did I face many challenges of being a young, single mom, but then my marriage began to fall apart as well.”
Her ex-husband returned from deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq a changed man, consumed by alcoholism and aggression, she added.
With two young children, she found herself in a desperate situation, with no job, no skills, and nowhere to go.
"I didn't know anything about a job, I dropped out of school. I didn't have any skills whatsoever. I depended on him for everything," she said. “But I hit a breaking point and came to the realization that I couldn't live like that anymore, so I made the decision to leave, even if it meant being homeless.”
Solis found a women's shelter that took her and her two children in. There, she secured two jobs—one at a local preschool and another at a hotel—and began rebuilding her life.
It was during this time in her life that the idea of military service began to take root, inspired by her brothers and sister who served. However, her initial attempts to join were met with rejection due to not having a high school diploma, having tattoos and being in the middle of a divorce.
“I was undeterred though,” Solis said. “When the recruiters in South Carolina repeatedly said, ‘no,’ I moved back to San Antonio and tried there.”
San Antonio did not have a different answer for Solis, so she ended up moving back to South Carolina.
"I was about to give up, but I decided to try one more time and that’s when I met Religious Program Specialist Petty Officer First Class Earnest Ingram,” she said. “He could see what I was going through and identified with my struggles. With his help I navigated the complex waiver process, and even completed 15 college credits to meet the high school diploma requirement.”
Finally, in November 2015, Solis’ perseverance paid off - she joined the Navy and shipped off to boot camp.
"I never experienced anything like boot camp before, as far as the structure and organizational discipline. It was pretty much an awakening, a culture shock, but I loved it," said Solis. “I remember the chief recruit division commander, who provided the guidance and mentorship I had long craved.”
After graduation, Solis attended Hospital Basic Corpsman course and later reported to her first duty station at Naval Hospital Beaufort in Port Royal, South Carolina.
“This was a full-circle moment for me,” she said. “It was the very hospital where I had received prenatal care while pregnant with my sons, and now I was serving there in uniform!”
It was also humbling and a moment of pride when she was recognized by her friends and church community who had been witness to her struggles, Solis added.
Her naval career has since taken her across the globe, including a deployment aboard the USS Wasp (LHD-1) in Japan, a tour with the Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and back to San Antonio with the Navy Medicine Training Support Command and the Naval Medical Forces Development Command (NMFDC).
Solis said the most powerful chapter of her Navy career is the legacy she unknowingly built.
Last year, her eldest son signed his own Navy contract.
"Witnessing my mother's transformation, had a lot to do with my enlistment,” said Hospital Corpsman Third Class Gabriel Aldana.
Aldana recalled his childhood as moving around a lot, from living in the shelter to living with their grandmother and other family members, and that it was a period of time when he was too young to fully grasp the weight of their circumstances.
"I had no idea what was going on," Aldana said. “My mom did a great job of shielding us from the full extent of her struggles, maintaining a stoic face and never revealing the depth of her difficulties. There wasn't even an ounce of uncertainty that I could see."
It wasn’t until they had an argument where she passionately defended how the Navy had saved her life that Aldana realized what his mother had gone through.
“That's when I kind of started looking back and connecting on the dots between moving around a lot versus the stability that came after she joined the Navy,” he said. “It was then that I decided to follow in her footsteps. I remembered hearing her stories about the Navy, particularly her role as a Corpsman, so I knew I had to also be a Corpsman.”
Aldana graduated boot camp, went on to become a Corpsman and recently graduated as Navy Behavioral Health Technician. He looks forward to a life of service and helping others, he said.
Solis feels a bittersweet mix of emotions about her son joining the Navy.
“I’m a mom first before a Sailor, so of course I was scared when he went off to bootcamp, but at the same time, it makes me so proud knowing that he wants to be like me,” she said. “I also want him to build from our struggles and ultimately achieve even more than I have."
Solis currently works at NMFDC as a training specialist for its Education and Training directorate, where she collaborates with instructional systems specialists in designing and maintaining enlisted and officer medical curriculum.
“I enjoy what I do, because it has a direct impact on the Navy and ensures our medical teams have the best training and education possible, so that our Sailors and families get the best medical care,” Solis said. “I’m still helping Sailors.”
Solis hopes her story inspires and encourages more people seeking to turn their own struggles into a source of strength and service to consider joining the Navy.
“The Navy, or any other service, is a good place to change your life if you're struggling,” she said. “If you find yourself at a crossroads, facing hardships or lacking direction, the military can be a lifeline, a place to transform your struggles into strength and build a life you never thought possible, just like I did."
| Date Taken: | 06.12.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.12.2025 10:18 |
| Story ID: | 500416 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 195 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, How the Navy saved one sailor, and inspired another, by Malcolm McClendon, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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