North Texas Army commander receiving Purple Heart Award nearly 20 years later

NORTH TEXAS — With her hearing gone, and a career over, Gretchen Evans was more worried 18 years ago about putting her life back together than receiving an award, but on her birthday Monday night in Westlake, the Pentagon had a special gift for the 64-year-old.

In front of friends and supporters, the retired U.S. Army Commander Sergeant Major received a Purple Heart for wounds she received in Afghanistan in 2005.

It was not an award she thought she would ever receive. Women weren't supposed to be involved in direct ground combat at the time.

She admits the call from the Pentagon though, telling her they wanted to fix the oversight, was emotional for her.

"Honestly it means the world to me," she said Monday before the ceremony. "That was a tough day. It changed my life forever."

A rocket blast propelled Evans into a wall, causing a traumatic brain injury and the complete loss of her hearing. The instant loss of a 27-year career left her in a dark place, but she pushed through it, crediting the addition of a service dog, a team of friends she calls her "rope" team (like mountain climbers attached by a rope who hold each other together), and a purpose advocating for veterans.

Now a sought-after speaker and author, she founded an athletic team made up of members who have all experienced life-altering injuries or disabilities, that competed in adventure races. In 2022, ESPN gave her the Pat Tillman Award for service.

Evans has also received a Bronze Star, a Presidential Unit Citation and Meritorious Service Medals for her time in the Army.

"The more I focus on other people the happier I am," Evans said. "If I can take what happened to me, the travesty, the trauma, the loss of parts of my life and turn it to something good, then it doesn't make what happened so bad."