Chief Warrant Officer Ralph Storey was born in Napanee, ON. He was a member of the Napanee and District High School Cadet Corps. After his sixteenth birthday he joined the Reserve Army in Napanee as a gunner with the 9th Anti-Tank Regiment. Just before turning seventeen, he reported to 13 Personnel Depot in Ottawa in November 1954 and enlisted in the Regular Force in the Royal Canadian Engineers.
After five months of recruit and Field Engineer training with 1 Field Park Squadron in Camp Chilliwack, BC, he was posted to 1 Field Squadron in Chilliwack. After a summer training in Wainwright, AB he went to Germany in Fall 1955 with the advance party as the unit rotated to Germany. After two years in Germany, he returned to Canada to Camp Petawawa, ON in Fall 1957.
Completing his Senior NCO Course in 1961 he was posted to the Royal Canadian School of Military Engineering as an instructor in Recruit Training Squadron. Promotion to Sergeant in 1965 brought with it a posting back to 1 Field Squadron, Petawawa and it was during this time that he earned his Parachutist Wings. After promotion to Warrant Officer in early 1970, he was posted to Regional Support Staff in Ottawa with 3 Field Squadron (Militia). In Fall 1971 he was posted to 4 Field Squadron in Lahr, GE.
In early 1974, Ralph was promoted to Master Warrant Officer and was posted back to 1 Field Squadron in Petawawa, that summer as a Troop MWO. Ralph was Troop MWO for the troop being readied for United Nations duty and by December he was in Cyprus for six months. After Cyprus, he returned to Petawawa as a Field Troop MWO and took the position of Airborne Troop MWO on the formation of the Special Service Force in 1977.
In 1978 MWO Storey was posted to CFSME as Squadron Sergeant-Major of Field Engineer Training Squadron. Promoted to Chief Warrant Officer in Spring 1979, he was appointed Regimental Sergeant Major of 2 Combat Engineer Regiment back in Petawawa. CWO Storey was invested as a Member of Military Merit in June 1979. After this tour he was posted to National Defence Headquarters where he was appointed as the first Canadian Military Engineers Branch Chief Warrant officer.
Chief Warrant Officer Ralph Storey retired from the Canadian Forces in November 1982 after 28 years service and went on to pursue a career in real estate with Century 21 in Pembroke.