Ralph was born on the 29th of October 1919, in San Francisco, California, and after high school, traveled to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to attend Lehigh University. He did not complete college as he left his junior year to join the US Army Air Force in February of 1940. Ralph then attended primary flying training at Tulsa, Oklahoma, followed by basic flight training at Randolph Field, Texas, and then multi-engine advanced training at Kelly Field, Texas.

By November of 1940, Ralph was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and was assigned to the 21st Reconnaissance Squadron in Miami, Florida. There he was a B-17 Flying Fortress co-pilot and when the US entered World War 2, Ralph was promoted to First Lieutenant and flew anti-submarine patrols in the Caribbean Sea. By June of 1942, Ralph was a Captain assigned to the 405th Bomb Squadron, known as the Green Dragons, as their Operations Officer. He led the first air movement of B-25s to the Southwest Pacific before being assigned to command the 405th Bomb Squadron and promoted to Major. It was Ralph’s actions on the 18th of August 1943, that would later earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy. While Maj. Cheli was leading his squadron in a dive to attack the heavily defended Dagua airdrome, intercepting enemy aircraft centered their fire on his plane, causing it to burst into flames while still two miles from the objective. His speed would have enabled him to gain necessary altitude to parachute to safety, but this action would have resulted in his formation becoming disorganized and exposed to the enemy. Although a crash was inevitable, he courageously elected to continue leading the attack in his blazing plane. From a minimum altitude, the squadron made a devastating bombing and strafing attack on the target. The mission completed, Maj. Cheli instructed his wingman to lead the formation and crashed into the sea.

It was initially thought that Ralph died upon impact, and he was awarded with the Medal of Honor, posthumously. However, it was later learned that he survived the crash and became a Japanese prisoner of war. In addition to the Medal of Honor, he also received the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal and flew in 39 combat missions. Ralph Cheli was executed on the 6th of March 1944, at the age of 24, survived by his wife Geraldine and their son Ralph Jr. He and other prisoners of war were later recovered and interred at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in Lemay, Missouri: Section 78, Site 930-934.