The Doss Council’s first Chairman and individual Desmond first approached back in1999 to help him make a “little film” about his life to inspire kids to live a moral life. Fred started it all and the people he had a hand in bringing to our team over the ensuing 24 years had no idea of the coming challenges they would overcome. With the foundation now moving forward with its educational initiative, Fred has returned to the key role of editing and preparing our Edusodes for release to the public.

Producer/Director of “The Conscientious Objector” [“TCO”] – Dealt with aged WWII veterans who served with Desmond on Okinawa, who were reluctant to recall the horrors of their war time experience. A number of them scheduled to be interviewed became ill or died causing loss of travel monies. The aftermath of the 911 attacks which took away many financial favors were cancelled leaving the project in serious financial shortage. These problems and many more affected completion of the documentary.

Executive Producer whose involvement came as the result of an unexpected visit when Terry came to his office in October 2001 to introduce “TCO,” which Gabe knew nothing about. As CEO of Special Effects Unlimited he was busy budgeting support services for the first “Pirates of the Caribbean.” It was a turning point in Gabe’s life as he had quietly been considering producing films on his own. After viewing the 4-minute trailer reel Gabe decided to assist Terry in raising production funds and overseeing the project so Terry could concentrate on directing. Because of his extensive experience in the Film Business dealing with major films Gabe was designated as the exclusive representative for the Doss Council to negotiate the formal agreement with Pandemonium Film and all subsequent assignee Film Industry entities. This was a challenge as Hollywood wanted to depict Desmond’s character with its own creative license, a crucial issue Gabe would not compromise. Desmond had to be portrayed as he was a simple humble young man with no vices or profanities for which Hollywood is famous in distorting. As production of “TCO” moved to completion Gabe reached out to his producing partner, Jeffrey Cordone.

Production Executive to oversee special screenings and prepare the documentary for marketing. It was largely through Jeffrey’s efforts “TCO” was entered into various film festivals where it won 23 top awards. Of essential contribution was Jeffrey’s nursing skills, one of his many career qualifications that enabled us to travel the country with Desmond who required special attention to his health needs one of which was constant availability of oxygen. When “Hacksaw Ridge” was released to worldwide acclaim, Jeffrey’s administrative management talents were called upon to join the Doss Foundation as a member of our Advisory Board to head the Desmond Doss Memorial Golf Tournament that was going to facilitate fund raising. His success in this endeavor led to Jeffrey’s elevation in 2020 to become a full board member and Acting President with the retirement of Charles Knapp our Founder in 2022. Jeffrey has taken on his new responsibilities with zeal, and he is now spearheading our Character Development Educational initiative.

Producer of “Hacksaw Ridge” – CEO of Pandemonium Films, & former President of Fox Studios and Buena Vista Distributing, contractually optioned the theatrical rights to Desmond’s story. Bill’s financial risks and perseverance in the face of many rejections and late production funding shortfalls which he personally covered, led to his ultimate victory in seeing Desmond’s story successfully completed and seen by hundreds of millions of people around the world. It is Bill’s greatest film achievement and has established his legacy in the annals of filmmaking.

Founder & President Emeritus of the Doss Foundation, and former Chairman of the Doss Council.  Charles, whose talents of leadership in the US Army made him the point man who has led us to where we are today. His many efforts cannot be over stated and are too many to list here. His 2015 trip to Australia during principal photography as Special Consultant enabled Charles to cement relationships with Bill Mechanic and Mel Gibson giving him a firsthand experience of filmmaking at its highest level. This was culminated by Gabe’s invitation to join him at the 2017 Academy Awards where he witnessed Hollywood’s honoring “Hacksaw Ridge” as one of 2016’s finest films. It was that night of February 26th, 2017 – that The Doss Foundation’s roots were sown in Charles’ mind.