2026 Theme: Sustaining Growth – Lasting Impact
The National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces (NCMAF) will be meeting in Arlington, VA, JAN 12-14 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel for their annual event. NCMAF is made up of representatives of 200+ religious organizations who endorse chaplains for all Federal chaplaincies, including all military branches, the Veterans Administration, Federal prisons, FBI, and other agencies.
“It is a hardship upon the Regiment, I think, to be denied a Chaplain.” George Washington to Governor Robert Dinwiddie of Virginia, 4/29/1757.
NCMAF advocates for the First Amendment and provides a unified voice on religious freedom and religious diversity.
Protecting the 1st Amendment While You Protect Our Country.
Dick Stenbakken, Ed. D., Chaplain (Colonel) U. S. Army, Retired at the 2025 NCMAF Conference
The Desmond Doss Foundation has completed and released seven interactive educational video episodes based on Doss’ actions memorialized in Mel Gibson’s Oscar-winning film Hacksaw Ridge and the documentary The Conscientious Objector, which features interviews with Desmond, his family, and his comrades.
The new video series, Desmond Doss Edusodes TM (is a combination of the words education & episode = Edusode), recently won a Gold Remi Award at the prestigious Houston International Film Festival in the area of New Interactive Educational Media. The Film Festival is an international event for emerging productions, and is the largest, longest continuously running festival in the media industry. A total of 7000 entries entered the competition this year in various categories.
The seven Edusodes are free and can be downloaded at: DesmondDossFoundation.org. There are also downloadable discussion questions for each Edusode, along with a free leader’s guide. The materials can be used sequentially or individually, as needed by facilitators.
One unique aspect of the programs is the encouragement for participants to each have a “Battle Buddy” who can assist with accountability and follow-up as the individual values presented in each Edusode are developed.
The Desmond Doss Foundation has been developing these value-focused concepts for years; they are now complete and available online. They are suitable for military unit discussion groups, JROTC/ROTC, retreats, classrooms, civic groups, individual enrichment and more. The creativity of leaders/users is the only limit. The current discussion questions are generic. Focused questions, specifically for military settings, and another set for corporate settings, are in development and will be available online soon.
The goal of the Foundation is to facilitate developing individual and unit personal values reflected by Desmond Doss under life-threatening chaos as he saved the lives of 75 wounded men from certain death on Okinawa in WW II. Desmond Doss’s values drove his actions, resulting in his being awarded the Medal of Honor by President Truman.
A group of seasoned Hollywood professionals, film editors, and producers teamed with experienced military personnel to bring the stories to life in ways that engage participants and involve them with interactive discussion and “Battle Buddy” follow-through.
Our President, Jeffrey Cordone, and Jonathan McGraw, Chaplain (Colonel) U.S. Army (Ret.), will be presenting the Desmond Doss Edusodes at NCMAF for the 3rd year. They will be sharing materials and information with attendees. If you won’t be there, you can contact Jeffrey Cordone by phone at 213-507-4100, or email at: j.cordone@DossFoundation.net or from: DesmondDossFoundation.org
The goal of the Foundation is to facilitate developing individual and unit personal values reflected by Desmond Doss under life-threatening chaos as he saved the lives of 75 wounded men from certain death on Okinawa in WW II. Desmond Doss’s values drove his actions, resulting in his being awarded the Medal of Honor by President Truman.
