[1][2] Schafer was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1922, graduated from South Side High School, Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1940 and attended the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, where he received his bachelor of science degree from the College of Liberal Arts in 1943, and his doctor of medicine degree from the College of Medicine in 1946.

He served his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 1946–1947 and completed three months of surgical residency before entering military service in the United States Air Force on July 5, 1947.

In August 1950 he became chief, Aviation Medicine Division at ATC Headquarters, which had moved to Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.

Schafer returned to the United States in August 1956 and attended the Public Health and Preventive Medicine Course at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland.

In February 1971 he returned to Brooks Air Force Base for duty as commander of the Aerospace Medical Division, AFSC.

He was the first flight surgeon to be assigned full-time to a jet organization, the 4th Fighter Group and, in this capacity, reported to the National Research Council on medical operational problems of such flying.