Ryan Brophy

Ryan is a retired Sergeant Major from the US Army Special Operations Command and currently lives in Sanford North Carolina outside of Ft Bragg the home of the Special Operations. Ryan is married to Amanda and they share two children. Ryan grew up in Hilton Head South Carolina where he worked for landscaping and various food and beverage restaurants before he joined the Army in August 1997.

Ryan started his Army career as a paratrooper in the world-famous 82nd Airborne Division where he served for 4 years as a machine gunner, rifleman, and team leader. In August of 2001, he moved to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii where he served as a team leader, squad leader, and platoon sergeant in the 25th Infantry Division. In May of 2005, after a year-long combat deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Ryan was then stationed in Ft Benning GA where he served as a Ranger Instructor. In May of 2009, Ryan was selected to join the US Army Special Operations Command(USASOC), Ft Bragg NC. Ryan would spend the rest of his career in USASOC Special Mission Units, and culminate his career as the Technical Squadron Operations Sergeant Major. During Sergeant Major Ryan Brophy’s 26-year career, he would deploy to combat in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria several times.

In 2019 Ryan and his wife had the opportunity to attend an Op Surf program facilitated by another non-profit. This opportunity re-invigorated his love of the ocean and provided the mental healing needed after 26 years of combat. In 2022, Ryan was given the opportunity to bring Operation Surf and its message into the lives of his Special Operations family. Through close coordination with Op Surf, they developed and executed the Special Operations Forces week-long program focusing on the SOF service member and their spouse. This transformative program for SOF couples plays a crucial role in supporting the mental health and emotional well-being of the participants and directly affects the resilience, readiness, and lethality of our Special Operations Forces.