Gretchen Evans, The Citizen-Times
Texas native Command Sergeant Major Gretchen Evans (retired), a highly decorated female veteran, began her journey when she entered the United States Army at 19 years old.
Shortly after completing Basic Training at Fort Leonard Wood (Missouri), CSM Evans became an Intelligence Analyst for Commander in Chief (Europe), before studying German and Italian at the Defense Language Institute (California) as a Counterintelligence Agent. Following her graduation from language school, CSM Evans attended Basic Airborne training at Fort Benning (Georgia). Gretchen is a graduate of the Sergeant Majors Academy at Fort Bliss (Texas). She held leadership roles in multiple combat engagements and had several other deployments throughout her 27 years in the Army.
Throughout her years in the service, CSM Evans worked her way up to Command Sergeant Major—the highest rank an enlisted soldier can achieve. In this role during her final assignment, she was responsible for the security and personnel on bases and forwarding operation bases in Afghanistan, and oversaw more than 30,000 ground troops. In 2006, CSM Evans’ world changed in a millisecond when she was severely wounded by incoming fire while serving in Afghanistan. The rocket blast caused her debilitating injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, internal injuries and the loss of all hearing.
After her combat injury, recent PTSD diagnosis and subsequent retirement from service, her transition from military life to civilian life was difficult. Her heart was broken and she felt hopeless, not only due to the injuries she sustained but also due to the sudden loss—of family, a team, the fellowship and the mission she had found and loved, the military experience. With grit, gumption, resilience and determination CSM Evans navigated through a changed life and found her new passion and purpose which is advocating for veterans of all services.
In 2019, CSM Evans assembled a team of disabled/wounded combat veterans to compete in the World’s Toughest Race in Fiji, hosted by Bear Grylls and produced by Mark Burnett (Survivor). Her team, UNBROKEN was the first totally disabled team to ever compete in the World’s Toughest Race. Team UNBROKEN inspired millions with their resolve to not let their injuries define who or what they could achieve in life. Out of 66 teams that competed in the World’s Toughest Race, Team UNBROKEN is one of ten teams featured presently on Amazon Prime, World’s Toughest Race. Evans was recently the recipient of the 2022 ESPN ESPY Pat Tillman Award for Service.
I served 27 years in the military worldwide and multiple combat deployments. I rose to the rank of Command Sergeant Major, the highest enlisted rank in the Army. I was wounded in 2006 in Afghanistan which resulted in total hearing loss, a traumatic brain injury and other injuries. This significantly changed my life. The biggest challenge was going from being a hearing person for 46 years to a deaf person in one second. After my injuries I fought to find my new passion and purpose in life. Now I am an advocate for Veterans, people with mixed abilities, motivational speaker, team builder, adventure racer, author and rope team member. I live with my husband, Captain (RET) Robert Evans and our two service dogs, Aura and Rusty. We have one daughter who is married to an Active-Duty Airman, and they currently are serving overseas in Okinawa.
Yes, I do come from a military family. My father served in WWII, and I have a nephew who was Army as well. My career started from a need to support myself and the desire from educational benefits and to have a career where I was serving others.
I learned a lot about myself from serving in the Army. I wanted to be involved in a career that focused on serving others. I love to be part of a team. Being on time is a sign of respect. Doing hard things is good for you. I love my country and people of the world. I learned what camaraderie is all about and how important it is in life.
Team UNBROKEN is an adaptive athletic team. All team members are battling physical and mental health issues. We believe that our mixed abilities do not define who we are or what we can accomplish. We compete to inspire others to live their best lives to the fullest regardless of the barriers they may face. Our mantra is "What is Within You is Stronger than What is in your Way" I established Team UNBROKEN to compete in the World's Toughest Race in Fiji, which is airing on Amazon Prime currently. So many doors are shut for people with mixed abilities, and I wanted the opportunity to demonstrate that people who are dealing with injuries, illnesses or traumas are not BROKEN, they are UNBROKEN and capable of many things. Team UNBROKEN is always looking for ways to connect with people. We love to visit companies and organizations to tell our stories which we believe resonates with most people. Everyone faces barriers of some sort, so our message is for everyone. We also speak about the importance of teamwork, leadership, loyalty, and engaging your Grit and most importantly how to find your rope team. We have several upcoming competitions in 2022 and several in 2023. We are looking for sponsors to help offset the cost of travel, lodging and entry fees for these competitions. For each competition it takes about $3,000 per person for us to compete in these athletic events. There are 4 members of Team UNBROKEN. We would love some help from others and to become part of our rope team.
My life dramatically changed with my sudden deafness. I had to relearn how to communicate with people and instill some new life skills so I could reenter the world safely. My advice is to do what you can to restore part of your hearing if that is an option for you. If not, learn to lip read, get a hearing service dog, and get back out in life. Do not be afraid to reenter the world, the worst thing you can do is isolate. I have captions on everything, my computer, my tv set, my phone. Also, it is ok to let people know you are hearing impaired, it is an injury just like any other and nothing to be ashamed of.
Gretchen is a nationally known motivational speaker, speaking to both large corporations, businesses and Veteran centric organizations. She was inducted into the U. S. Veteran Hall of Fame in 2019 and was inducted into the U. S. Army Women’s Hall of Fame in March 2021 for her outstanding meritorious service with the United States Army and her community. Gretchen’s story is featured in the new 2020 bestselling book, “What’s Within You”. Gretchen has been featured on the Megyn Kelly Show, the Today Show and CBS Courage in Sports. She also has been highlighted in multiple written media publications. She is an avid hiker, marathon runner, cyclist and adventure racer. CSM Evans currently resides in Brunswick, Maine, with her husband Robert, a retired Navy Chaplain, and their two service dogs Aura and Rusty.
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