Doss more than earned his place in Circle of Corydon

By AIDA KARIM
news@readthereporter.com

Passionate community service never goes unnoticed.

Despite his quiet and humble demeanor, Bill Doss was recognized at the Noblesville Historic Courthouse for his years of service, advocacy, and consequential support for the veteran community.

The Reporter was there to hear the presentation and speak with both Doss and State Representative Victoria Garcia Wilburn (D-Fishers) about the years of service leading up to him receiving The Circle of Corydon certificate and the importance of veteran recognition in the community.

Doss told The Reporter that starting in 1968, he was a part of the U.S. Air Force, fighting in Vietnam during his service. After years of seeing the painful neglect for our veterans, Doss said he realized the necessity to reform the way in which veterans were treated.

“I just knew that we couldn’t treat our military veteran community like we were treated in the Vietnam War,” he said. “So everything that I have done from that point on was to honor our military and our veteran community and make sure that their needs are addressed.”

Doss said one example of the community service he took part in include painting a PT Cruiser to honor our country’s losses during Sept. 11, 2001, as well as various military conflicts. Doss said he was also a part of the board for the Fallen Hoosier Heroes Memorial in Westfield. From there he went to the Hamilton County Veterans Corporation and brought the Vietnam Wall to Noblesville. Later, he joined Stronger Veterans, Stronger Communities.

Garcia Wilburn had subsequently made veteran recognition a vital component of her platform. She said she comes from a family of veterans, so when she was elected to office in 2022, she made sure her commitment to this community was enduring.

“I want neighbors just to get to be connected, to know their neighbor’s story,” she said, “because Mr. Doss has done so much, quietly, humbly, under the radar, and you wouldn’t have known if you wouldn’t have asked him.”

 

Hamilton County Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt gave public comment during the award ceremony, testifying to the impactful acts of service and advocacy Doss had taken part in.

Heirbrandt said the Crownland War Memorial was starting to deteriorate, and it was Doss who advocated for its restoration. In the face of little monetary backing, Doss started a GoFundMe with Heirbrandt. That garnered the attention of the other county commissioners and donors across the county. They were both able to restore the memorial and also add the names of veterans who weren’t previously included.

“It looks absolutely stunning, but to hear from those families and what it meant to them, that’s something that I’ll never forget,” Heirbrandt said.

Heirbrandt said Doss also advocated for a number of legislative issues, mental health initiatives, and started the job and resource fair, which offers support to the veteran community.

Doss said he understands that there has been growing support for the veteran community within the past couple of years, with more input from legislators than there has been in the past.

“The main thing that we have to do on their part is teach them how to listen and then actually hear what they’re listening to,” Doss said.

When speaking to Doss directly, Heirbrandt said, “I don’t think that you really know how many people you actually touched. I can’t imagine anybody more deserving of this honor than you.”