Brigadier General Gorry was born in Tucson, Arizona, and raised in Connecticut and North Carolina. He completed his undergraduate studies at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in 1984. During his time at Chapel Hill, Gorry wrestled under coach Bill Lam and was a four-year letter winner and co-captain. In 1984, he led the Tar Heels to an Atlantic Coast Conference Championship. Afterward, Gorry joined the Marine Corps through the Officer Candidate Course and received his commission as a Second Lieutenant in December 1985.

Over the course of his 32-year career as a Marine officer, Gorry served in various roles and locations, including a deployment in Afghanistan, as well as assignments in Germany and Japan. From 2011 to 2013, he held the position of Commanding General of all Marine Corps installations on the East Coast, with headquarters at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Following that, he served as the Commandant of the Dwight D. Eisenhower School at the National Defense University in Washington, DC, from 2013 to 2016. Additionally, Gorry was the President of Marine Corps University from 2016 to 2017.

In 2017, Brigadier General Gorry retired from the Marine Corps. Subsequently, he assumed the role of Executive Director at the Veterans Life Center of North Carolina, where he served from 2019 to 2021. Gorry was inducted into the North Carolina Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2013, receiving the "Outstanding American Award."