Major Rob Doss (retired) enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at the age of 17 in February 1975. He rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant (E-6), having served as an infantryman in the 2nd, 8th, and 9th Marine Regiments. In May 1983, he graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and was commissioned as a Marine Second Lieutenant.

In March 1985, he was designated a Naval Aviator and received orders to fly the CH-46E assault helicopter with HMM-365 at New River, NC where he deployed to the Mediterranean as part of the 24th and 26th Marine Expeditionary Units (SOC). He then joined HMM-263 in July 1990 and flew missions in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm and flew a nighttime raid to rescue diplomats from the US Embassy in Mogadishu, Somalia during Operation Eastern Exit.

After the war, he was assigned to HT-8 at Whiting Field, FL to serve as a helicopter flight instructor. In 1992, he was selected as the HT-8 Bell Jet Ranger Flight Instructor of the Year while also pursuing an off-duty Master of Science degree in Management from Troy University.

After completing his tour as a flight instructor, he returned to New River where he was promoted to Major in November 1994 and deployed again, this time with HMM-162 and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (SOC). He flew missions during Operation Decisive Endeavor in Bosnia-Herzegovina and served as the Aviation Mission Commander during the reinforcement and noncombatant evacuation of the besieged American Embassy in Monrovia, Liberia where he later flew dozens of additional missions in support of Operation Assured Response.

In August 1996, he became the first commanding officer of Aviation Maintenance Squadron 1 in Pensacola, FL. He retired from the Marine Corps in December 1998 after nearly 24 years of service and after accumulating more than 4,000 flight hours.

After his retirement from the Marine Corps, he owned, operated, and managed businesses and flew helicopters offshore out of Louisiana. He later taught history, sociology, honors economics, honors American government, and entrepreneurship as well as coached baseball for two years at West Florida High School before accepting a position as director of transportation for the Escambia County School District for nine years.

He retired from the school district in 2018 and now resides in Cantonment, FL with his wife Christina, managing director and shareholder with Saltmarsh Financial Advisors in Pensacola. They have two children, Rob and Bryan. Rob is a Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel who served two tours in Iraq and is stationed in Camp Pendleton, CA. Bryan is a Major in the Marine Corps Reserve who served two tours in Afghanistan. He resides in Washington, DC where he is a senior director with Markon Solutions.