Interview: 2022 Pat Tillman Award Winner Retired Army Command Sergeant Major Gretchen Evans

Written by Charlie Beuttel

Twitter: @charlie_cds3

Gretchen Evans of Brunswick, Maine, is a retired Army Command Sergeant Major and will be honored at the 2022 ESPY Awards with the Pat Tillman Award on July 20. The Pat Tillman Award is given to an individual with a strong connection to sports who has also served others in a way that reflects upon the legacy of the former NFL player and U.S. Army Ranger.

During her 27 years of service to our country from 1979-2006, Evans rose all the way up to the rank of Command Sergeant Major, the highest non-commissioned officer rank in the military. During a deployment to Afghanistan in 2006, she was severely injured by a rocket blast. When she woke up in a military hospital in Germany, she discovered she had suffered total hearing loss and traumatic brain injury which ended her military career.

During her storied military career, Evans won numerous awards including the Bronze Star and the Presidential Unit Citation Medal. In the years since, she has become a motivational speaker all over the country and has been inducted in both the U.S. Army Women’s Hall of Fame and the U.S. Veteran Hall of Fame.

Evans also founded Team UNBROKEN, an adaptive racing team of mostly veterans who have experienced life-altering injuries, illness, or traumas, who competed in World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji. She was inspired to form this team after working with various veteran advocacy groups where she mentors and coaches fellow veterans.

The Pat Tillman Award for Service was established in 2014 to honor Tillman’s life and legacy. Past honorees include U.S. Paralympic gold medal sled hockey player and Purple Heart recipient Josh Sweeney (2014), former Notre Dame basketball player, Iraq war veteran and Purple Heart recipient Danielle Green (2015), U.S. Army Sergeant and Invictus Games gold medalist Elizabeth Marks (2016), Purple Heart recipient and Invictus Games gold medalist Israel Del Toro (2017), Navy-Marine Commendation Medal recipient, Sergeant and founder of Team Rubicon Jake Wood (2018), former Marine and founder of the Kristie Ennis Foundation Kristie Ennis (2019), healthcare worker and boxing champion Kim Clavel (2020), and Manchester United football player Marcus Rashford (2021).

In an exclusive interview, I was talked to retired Army Command Sergeant Major Gretchen Evans about receiving the Pat Tillman Award and learn more about Team UNBROKEN.

Interview

Congratulations on being honored with the Pat Tillman Award for Service. What was your first reaction to the news?

My first reaction to the news of being chosen for the Pat Tillman Award for Service was I felt undeserving, then humbled, then reenergized.

Your ESPY award is tied to your work with Team UNBROKEN, what is the background of Team UNBROKEN?

Team UNBROKEN is a team of adaptive athletes who came together in 2019 to compete in the World’s Toughest Race in Fiji. I wanted to demonstrate that disabilities/mixed abilities do not define who you are or limit what you can accomplish. I had two combat veterans and two civilians on the team to also demonstrate that we need to be better at working side by side and understanding each other’s culture and perspectives.

Who are the members that formed Team UNBROKEN and what is your role with the team?

My role was founder, fundraiser, and training manager. Anne was our logistics, financial responsibility person and medic. Keith was our GOAT. He was strong, quiet, loyal and always gave his best. Hal was the team Captain, that took care of all the paperwork, ensured the team had all the certificates needed to compete. He identified strengths and weaknesses so we were able to function as a team the best way possible.

We trained really hard to compete in the race. We sacrificed family and personal time and finances. We were hard on our bodies, but it was so important for us to represent a mixed ability team in the competition in hope that others like us might be encouraged to be bold in living their best life regardless of their barriers.

As you prepare to attend the ESPY Awards on July 20, are there any athletes that you want to meet?

I hope to meet many athletes at the ESPYS. I have such respect for all athletes. In most cases they are incredible role models in their dedication to be the best in their sport individually and also as a team member.

Did you play any sports growing up?

I played sports throughout my childhood and in my military career. I played tennis and ran track in school. I also took tap dance and ballet lessons. Growing up I played sandlot baseball and football with my brothers and their friends.

Do you have any favorite sports teams?

My favorite football team is the Dallas Cowboys. I’m a native Texan and have been a fan since I was three years old. I also like the Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals. In baseball, I like the Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, Detroit Lions, and New York Mets. In basketball, I like the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics.

My favorite golfer is Rory McElroy. My favorite NASCAR driver is Colin Garrett. I also love to watch the Kentucky Derby and it is on my bucket list to go someday. I think horses are beautiful and magical.

If someone wants to contribute, donate, or learn more about Team UNBROKEN, how can they do that?

To learn more about Team UNBROKEN you may watch us on Amazon Prime, World’s Toughest Race. We are still adventure racing, but we also do other types of events. We are rucking the Marine Corps Marathon this year. We are riding bikes for the Face of America, Running the Empire State Building and will do two Ironman’s, one in Alaska and one in Patagonia.

We also make public appearance to corporations, sport teams, and other organizations to tell our story of grit, gumption, resilience and hope.

Team UNBROKEN is a non-profit and if interested people may help us continue to race and speak by donating to us at www.nobarriersusa.org  Look for our picture Team UNBROKEN on the website and donation link. They can also contact me directly for in kind donations such as socks, shoes, uniforms, equipment. We are looking for sponsors for 2023.

My contact information is ggevans@svsu.edu.

You may learn more about us my following us on Instagram: @teamunbrokenusa.

We love to share our story with people and certainly appreciate everyone’s support for the team.

Thank you for your time today and thank you for your service to our country.

Thank you, Charlie.

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Photos credit: Amazon; Team UNBROKEN