Gretchen Evans
Retired Command Sergeant Major, U.S. Army
Command Sergeant Major (RET) Gretchen G. Evans, served 27 years in the United States Army. She held every leadership position from squad leader to Command Sergeant Major for LTG Karl Eikenberry, Commander, Combined Forces Afghanistan from 2004-2006. She served overseas and nationwide, as well as several combat deployments.
CSM (RET) Evans served as an Intelligence Analyst, Counterintelligence Agent, Military Police, Paratrooper, and numerous other positions. Highly decorated, during her tenure, she received over 27 awards and decorations to include the Bronze Star. She was wounded in Afghanistan, which resulted in her near-total loss of hearing, traumatic brain injury, and various other related challenges.
Undaunted by her injuries, and the sudden end of her military service, CSM (RET) Evans authored a book, “Leading from the Front,” which poignantly tells the stories of soldiers in combat and peace. The book’s success and her resiliency led to CSM Evans becoming a highly desired motivational speaker and teacher at leadership workshops for large corporations. She has appeared on the Megyn Kelly Show and the Today Show with her hearing service dog Aura. She has been featured on CBS in “Courage in sports,” driving an adapted race car known as the SAM car. She will be inducted into the United States Veterans Hall of Fame in 2020. In September 2019 she led a team of disabled veterans and civilians to train and compete in the “World’s Toughest Race in Fiji hosted by Bear Grylls and will be aired on Amazon Prime in 2020. Team UNBROKEN was the first disabled team to ever compete in the race.
A true servant leader Gretchen is an active member of the Board of Directors for America’s VETDOGS and The Guide Dog Foundation a non-profit organization that provides service dogs free of cost to veterans and first responders. She is also an active member of The American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Wound Warrior Project, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Team Red, White and Blue, and Team Rubicon. In fact, an avid runner, CSM Evans has dedicated and raised funds for many of these organizations while completing over 30 marathons. Currently, she is active as the Aide de Camp, for the CEO of Dogtopia and the Dogtopia Foundation.
Gretchen currently resides in Brunswick, ME, after 27 moves, with her husband, Robert D. Evans, CAPTAIN, Chaplain, United States Navy (Ret.), and their two service dogs, Rusty and Aura.