Dr. Damon Friedman received his commission in 2000 as a United States Marine Corps Officer and later transferred into the Air Forces elite as a Special Warfare Officer.

He retired after 20 years, having served four combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan in support of the Global War on Terrorism. His personal decorations include three Bronze Stars (one with Valor) and the Air Force Combat Action Medal. His new book, Igniting Movements, provides a model for building effective movements, inspiring people to come together under a singular vision to make the world a better place. Damon is the president of SOF Missions, which helps at risk veterans by providing whole health care plans that support wellness and resiliency. He is also the co-chair of the Veteran Service Alliance, which serves around 1 million veterans each year. Dr. Friedman holds a Doctorate in Intercultural Studies and is attending Harvard University.

Dayna Friedman serves as the Vice-President of SOF Missions.

She grew up in a military home, stationed in bases across the country. She is the wife of a retired special operations Lieutenant Colonel and has seen first-hand the struggles our veterans coming home from combat are facing. She is dedicated to helping heal warriors and their families who are struggling with the visible and invisible scars of war. Dayna is a native of Alaska and holds a master’s degree in Education from Liberty University. She spent 10 years teaching elementary school before moving into the non-profit sector. She was an All-American NCAA Track and Field Athlete at Virginia Tech during her college years. Dayna, her husband, and two children live in Florida.

Mrs. Angela Whitener was appointed to serve at an Executive Assistant for Dr. Damon Friedman (SOF Missions and Friedman Force) in December 2022. In prior VA positions, she served many Veterans administratively over her 37 Year Career in the US Department of Veterans Affairs, retiring in 2018 from an Executive Career Field position as the Program Manager of the SE Region, Polytrauma System of Care, James A. Haley VA, Tampa, FL.

Dr. McCarthy is a board–certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation with a sub–specialty in Brain Injury Medicine. Dr. McCarthy is a Battlefield acupuncture instructor certified atHelms Medical Center.Dr. McCarthy directs the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency Training Program atUSF. She holds an academic appointment at the University of South Florida’s Department of Neurology as an Associate Professor.

Miriam Mitchell retired Chief Master Sergeant with 30 years of Air Force service.  She has a master’s degree In Exercise Science & Nutrition, an undergraduate degree in Public Health (Wellness Concentration), from the University of Tampa. She began her career as an aeromedical technician crewmember on the C-130 and retired as the 6^th Medical Group superintendent, MacDill AFB, FL. Miriam previously served as the director of Preservation of the Force & Family (POTFF), at Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT).  She will always be a woman of duty and says God has put too much in her to lay it down.

Camellia Simmons served 5 years in the United States Marine Corps and is a Combat Veteran.  She has spent the last 5 years assisting Veterans with overcoming significant barriers with the end goal of obtaining and maintaining employment.  She now works as Veteran Case Manager at SOF Missions using her experience and knowledge learned by networking and engaging with local, regional, and national organizations that assist with Veteran Support.  Her passion for serving in the Veteran Community is apparent. She volunteers her time to connect with local Veterans providing resources and support. Camellia believes in living through every day with purpose and intention. Striving for daily, personal growth, leaving a mark of positive exchange.

Megan is a Licensed Nurse Assistant with certifications in Phlebotomy (PTC), Electrocardiogram (CET) and Medication Tech (CMT).  She has 10 years of experience in the Healthcare industry ensuring patients and veterans are moved within the healthcare system to receive treatment and rehabilitation so that she could improve the lives and quality of care. She loves being the healthcare advocate that patients and veterans can depend on in their time of need.  Megan is passionate about the field of case management and always looks to gain more experience in her chosen field.  She finds it rewarding to provide our veteran population with ongoing support in obtaining an overall better quality of life.  She is a sister of a US Army Veteran and loves her family, sports and the opportunity to give back. Lives by the Lord’s hand daily! 

Victor is a multimedia specialist with over a decade of successful experience in visual design and videography.

Victor has worked 5+ years in the tv industry within the spanish culture at CNN Latino, Mira Tv, Mega Tv. Victor specializes from videography, web development to company branding. He is the master mind behind SOF Missions’ branding look and feel. Prior Victor working for the local TV stations he also worked 7+ years for the DHS USCIS. A strong believer in the power of positive thinking in the workplace. Victor is the son, nephew and grandson of US Army veterans.

Natalie is originally from North Carolina. She is a graduate of the University of South Florida and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. Natalie is the wife of a retired US ARMY Special Forces Chief Warrant Officer Four of 27 ½ years. She understands the difficulties that veterans and their families go through after one has experienced war.

Natalie has a strong background in the nonprofit sector, diligently working to raise awareness through advocacy, fundraising, event planning, public speaking, and community engagement. She is passionate about serving the veteran community and their families. Natalie is a woman of faith and believes that God is the path to hope, healing, and peace. She loves the outdoors, health and wellness, traveling, and spending time with her family.

Stewart Stancil is a former Firefighter and Certified Landscape Contractor from Wilmington, NC. He and his wife Katrina have served as missionaries with SOF Missions in the Philippines, Peru and Mexico for over 8 years, specializing in logistics for disaster relief efforts and leading over 5,000 people to faith in Jesus Christ. Stewart has been a part of planting 5 churches, pastoring 1 in Cajamarca, Peru and 1 in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico with more planned for the upcoming year. Alongside these missions efforts, Stewart is also a website developer for Christian ministries including Ark Of Noah Ministries that has projects in Peru, Mexico, Italy and Kenya. Stewart studied Biblical Studies at Liberty University and Intercultural Studies and Missions with Perspectives On The World Christian Movement at UNC Wilmington.

Dr. Lemay is a Performance Medicine Consultant for the NBA, NHL, MLB and NFL.  Dr. LeMay graduated from the University of Nevada School of Medicine in 1996 and completed a residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in 2000 at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He is the founder of Regenesis LLC which incorporates physical medicine and performance medicine for health and wellness. Dr. LeMay is Board Certified in both Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation as well as in Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine.

He is a consultant for the Washington Wizards (NBA), Washington Capitals (NHL), and Oakland Raiders (NFL). He is the medical director for the EXOS NFL mobile retirement combine program through the NFL Players Association. Dr. LeMay is married to an encouraging wife and has 5 children that span the ages 2 through 22.

GS-15 (Ret) Mrs Sherri J. Hayes retired from the Department of the Air Force on 3 April 2018 after 37 years of federal civil service. She received her BS degree in Business Administration from Troy State University and an MBA in Human Resource Management from Southern Columbia University, AL.

GS-15 (Ret) Mrs. Annette Beard retired from the Department of the Air Force on 3 January 2019 after 36 years of federal civil service in Financial Management.  She earned her BS degree in Computer Science from the University of South Alabama and her MS in Management from Troy University.

William “Bill” Turner is the Chief Operating Officer for the Air Force Enlisted Village, Inc.,a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. The COO accomplishes other duties as directed by the CEO. Prior to selection in his current role, Turner served as vice president for government services for a veteran owned small business, the Hoplite Group, LLC. Turner retired from the USAF after 30 years achieving the rank of chief master sergeant. Turner spent most of his career in AFSOC, where he served as an aerial gunner on AC-130H Spectre Gunship and AC-130U Spooky Gunship for 16 years. He is a chief enlisted aviator with more than 3,400 flight hours, with nearly 1,100 hours of combat time. His numerous deployments ranged the globe and include Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Raymond Friedman has been the President & CEO for Mile2 since his procurement of the IP in 2009. Raymond has been in the Cyber Security space since 2002 in both the INFOSEC and instructional field. While in this industry, he has been actively engaged in consulting for global financial and government institutions, performing security audits, penetration tests, disaster recovery, and business continuity services. Raymond spearheaded the development of the present series of Mile2 certifications which have become globally recognized by military agencies worldwide. Presently, Raymond carries several certifications and an advanced degree: Master of Science in Accounting – Controller, the Certified Information Systems Security Officer, Certified Penetration Testing Engineer, Certified Disaster Recovery Engineer and Certified Digital Forensics Examiner. He and his wife Marie have three beautiful daughters.

Rick Olson is the president of Olson Land Partners, which focuses on real estate acquisitions and development. While Rick has a personal passion for the senior living sector, he has developed a wide variety of projects, including retail shopping centers, restaurants, award-winning master-planned communities, high-end waterfront condominiums, resorts for luxury motor coaches, and other development projects over the past 35 years. Rick continues to raise the bar of excellence while expanding his real estate portfolio of highly successful communities and projects. Rick and his lovely wife Elaine have a loving son, Ricky.

Norm is a 31–year veteran of the United States Air Force, Norm retired as the Vice Commander, AirForce Special Operations Command. His military career included joint duty as the Assistant Commanding General, Joint Special Operations Command, and Commander, Special Operations Command–Pacific. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and earned masters’ degrees from Troy State University, the United States Naval War College, and Air University’s School of Advanced Airpower Studies. Norman is the Executive Vice President of The Kearns Group, LLC, aviation maintenance and engineering company. He serves on the board of advisors for The Warrior’s Journey and Victory Village and is Chairman of the Air Commando Association. Norman and his wife Lisa reside in Pensacola, FL.

Jeremy Slaughter began his career working in business lending as an analyst. After developing a strong background in analytics and risk, he moved to consulting, accounting and tax becoming an accountant for entrepreneurs. From there he moved into financial executive roles in strong middle market organizations. In his roles he balances his entrepreneurial talents and passions with his finance, accounting and analytical skills to produce actionable intelligence; the relevant information to forge great execution. Jeremy advises both for-profit and non-profit organizations in strategy and execution and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and a Master’s Degree in Accounting and Financial Management.

Charlie Keebaugh is an executive leader with a proven record of success. He is a business growth expert whose clients named him to the Inc 5000 List of Fastest Growing Companies in the US on 5 Separate Occasions. He is skilled in pipeline development, business capture, contracts management, recruiting & staffing, operations management, and compliance. Charlie is an Air Force veteran who served in special forces. He attended Harvard Business School Executive Education and earned MBA from Northcentral University.

Amelia Beard is the Managing Attorney of Moorhead Law Group’s Santa Rosa Beach, Florida office. Her practice focuses on the transactional and dispute resolution needs of individuals and businesses, as well as estate planning, asset protection, and probate. Amelia is highly involved in the legal profession through service to the Florida Bar and local bar organizations. She is an advisor to the board of SOF Missions.

Thomas served in the United States Navy as a Gas Turbine Systems Technician. He served onboard a Spruance Class Destroyer and made 2 deployments to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Desert Storm, Operation Southern Watch, and the Kuwaiti Liberation. Thomas and his family are very charity-driven and support many local charities. He has directed and coordinated relief efforts for hurricane-ravaged areas such as the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, LongIsland, Texas, and Florida with multiple aircraft missions delivering well over one million pounds of relief supplies and Medical Staff to treat victims. Thomas was elected as Vice-Chair of a Pasco County CommunityDevelopment District and is Vice–President of his community’s homeowners association. Thomas also assists with coaching a Church soccer league and his daughter’s HighSchool Golf team. Thomas has been in the Private Jet Aircraft industry for over 27 years and the last 22 with ExecuJet as the Director of Sales.

William Markham, Command Chief Master Sergeant US Air Force (retired), joined The Patriot Fund as the Executive Director on December 1st, 2020. Will served for 30 years in the United States Air Force and has received numerous decorations and awards for his courageous duties. As a retired Veteran, he continues to serve the military community through mentorship, charitable actions, and patriotic leadership. Will started a 501(c)3 non-profit, Project OVAT (One Veteran @ A Time), which is a charitable organization that was established to help Veterans and service members who incurred a physical or mental injury, illness, or wound while serving in the military. Will has recently joined The Patriot Fund team as the Executive Director. A constant professional since his retirement, he has been inducted into the 2018 USAF, Gathering of Eagles, and 2021 U.S. Special Operations Command, Commando Hall of Honor.

Nathan B. Nelson is a retired USAF intelligence officer. While on his third deployment to Afghanistan, he suffered a catastrophic injury from indirect fire that left him paralyzed. Since his medical retirement, he served as the Director of Military Affairs for the 1st Congressional district of Florida. Since then, he has led an effort to relocate a DoD supercomputer to Northwest Florida to support weapons development and enhance workforce development. Nathan has a passion for serving veterans, and actively supports nonprofit organizations and efforts that target this community including Building Homes for Heroes, SOF Missions, Air ForceEnlisted Village, Wild Response, and others. He and his lovely wife have 2 children and live in Florida.

Michael Berry is General Counsel for First Liberty Institute. He joined First Liberty in 2013 afterserving for seven years on active duty as an attorney with the U.S. Marine Corps. Among Mr.Berry’s numerous positions within the Marine Corps, he deployed to Afghanistan in2008, andfrom 2009–2012, Mr. Berry served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the United States NavalAcademy. Mr. Berry continues to proudly serve our nation as a member of the Marine CorpsReserve.Mr. Berry earned his bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University, and he earned his lawdegree from The Ohio State University.