BUCHANAN, Va. (WDBJ) – In the small town of Buchanan, Virginia, there is a dojo that sits in the middle of downtown. It is easy to miss if you’re not looking, but it is much more than just a building that teaches martial arts. The history and stories behind the owner who built it are unforgettable.
From sea to service, Joseph Rae explains why he joined the military. “People join the military for all sorts of reasons; some join for college, some to get out of homes, some to get out of trouble. I wanted to serve.”
Joe enlisted in the United States Navy in 1999. He turned 21 in bootcamp in Great Lakes, Chicago, did 6 months of Gunners Mate training, then snuck home on Memorial Day weekend to marry his high school sweetheart. Joe was a forward thinking kind of guy and nothing was impossible for this young go-getter… not even military training, especially with his martial arts background. “Physically, I never encountered anything in bootcamp that was harder than martial arts. I was not used to getting yelled at, especially in the back of your mind you’re thinking ‘I could take this guy,” explains Rae.
Click here for other Hometown Veterans stories.
Martial means military. So, it made sense for Joe as a young boy, who fell in love with martial arts, to then land into the military realm. While trying to figure out Navy life and how to be a husband, Joe was deployed in 2001. “It was a Mediterranean deployment, which was awesome! This was before 9-11. The Ports were open, we were able to have a good time, visited 14 different ports in the Mediterranean. My wife and I hadn’t had our children yet. I thought this is what the Navy is, this is great.”
Not only was 9-11 going to change the world; Joe’s world was also about to take a turn. “In 2003, my wife got pregnant. We were excited. Daughter was due in June of 2003 and of course we all the sudden the war in Iraq started,” said Rae.
During that deployment alone, Joe missed the birth of his first child and lost 18 of his closest friends in battle. Eventually, he met his daughter and was back to shore, but that wouldn’t last long. “I had that itch… I mean, I loved being at home with my family, but I really felt like I wanted to put myself in a more tactical minded command and environment.”
Joe would get his wish with multiple deployments to the Middle East. He recalls one specifically to Haditha, where his detachment served 8 months and did 230 missions.
The pinnacle of his military career was serving on Special Warfare and working in Afghanistan with Seal Team 10. Joe retired in 2021 as a Chief Gunner’s Mate, which is the highest enlisted rank within the Gunner’s Mate rating in the Navy. One year later, he opened up his own dojo. He’s now a sheriff’s deputy in the town of Buchanan, has four kids, and while he’s no longer wearing the uniform, military life isn’t far away… his son is now serving in the United States Navy.
Copyright 2025 WDBJ. All rights reserved.
