North Texas military vet receives Purple Heart Award for 27 years of service and bravery
WESTLAKE, Texas - A military veteran who served our country for nearly three decades who was injured in Afghanistan and went on to help improve the lives of other injured veterans received one of the military's highest honors.
The North Texan received the Purple Heart on Monday for her bravery and her service. The audience was filled with family, friends and fellow service members.
For retired U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major Gretchen Evans, service is her way of life.
The North Texan spent 27 years on active duty for the U.S. military and worked her way to become a non-commissioned officer.
Then, while serving in Afghanistan in 2006, Evans was injured in a rocket attack.
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"In a millisecond, everything changed for me," she said.
Evans suffered a traumatic brain injury and lost her hearing. The injury also ended her military career.
"‘Why me? How am I going to live my life now with these catastrophic injuries?’ And you question your worthiness," she said.
Evans credits those around her for picking her up in those low moments and her guide dog, Rusty, for being her new set of ears.
While she couldn’t serve her country as an active-duty officer, Evans found a new way to serve others.
"Then when I started looking to help others, that was like the healing balm of everything," she said. "And when the focus came off of me and onto others and how I could help them, then that's what really propelled me into an amazing life."
A big part of that is Team Unbroken, an athletic team Evans founded that’s made up of adaptive athletes who take on challenges all over the world.
"And the reason we do the things we do — we go around, we do crazy races, we just climbed Kilimanjaro — is to show other people like us that something has happened to you. That it doesn't have to define who you are or what you can accomplish," she said.
On Monday at a small ceremony in Westlake, Evans celebrated a new accomplishment. She was honored with a Purple Heart Award, one of the military’s most revered and oldest decorations.
For Evans, receiving the Purple Heart comes with mixed emotions.
"There's a little bit of me that's sad because there's people that should be here with me who are not, who gave the ultimate sacrifice," she said. "So the Purple Heart comes with those feelings, but I'm just very grateful."
The most special part for Evans was to have her family, friends and fellow service members there to celebrate.
"Be proud of what you do," she said. "It's not the most glamorous job in the world, and it's not the best-paying job in the world, but there's no finer vocation — in my opinion — than to serve your country."
Evans has won multiple awards for her service, including the ESPY’s Pat Tillman Award in 2022. She is also an inductee to the U.S. Army Women’s Hall of Fame and the U.S. Veteran Hall of Fame.
Monday’s celebration also happened to fall on Evans’ birthday.