During World War II, Raleigh Schorling gave extensively of his time and knowledge to the Training Program of the United States Navy. The idea of a Navy training program was not entirely new. In fact, as far back as World War I, the Navy had instituted a system of Training Course Manuals for use by enlisted men who were striving for promotion in their respective rates. However, the available training courses in all ratings were limited in number and, at the time of Pearl Harbor, considerably outdated. Naval Aviation meanwhile had become a large and extremely important part of the Navy. There were more than 22 regular aviation ratings and 13 specialist designations, but only four training manuals.