Gretchen Evans, a retired Army command sergeant major who does fundraising for Vet to Vet Maine, received the Pat Tillman Award for Service during the The 2022 ESPYS, broadcast July 20, 2022 on ABC. The award, named for NFL player Pat Tillman who died while serving with the 75th Ranger Regiment in Afghanistan, was created to honor his legacy. ESPY (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) awards are televised annually to recognize individual and team sports-related achievements. View the touching and inspirational video about Gretchen and her acceptance speech:
Evans, one of the most highly decorated women to serve in the Army, had her military career end after a mortar round blast in Afghanistan resulted in a traumatic brain injury, complete hearing loss, and other injuries. As a veteran, she was a founding member of Team UNBROKEN, an adaptive racing team that competed in the World’s Toughest Race: Eco-challenge Fiji and is training for the next challenge.
In addition to her volunteer work at V2VM, she contributes to many veteran causes and is now a nationally known motivational speaker, has been inducted into the U.S. Army Women’s Hall of Fame and the U.S. Veterans Hall of Fame, and is a trustee of Excelsior College.