The American Legion George T. Files Post 20 has announced that Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Gretchen Evans, United States Army (Ret.) will be a featured guest speaker at the Veterans Day Dedication of the Veterans Plaza. This ceremony will be on the Brunswick, Maine downtown Mall on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2020 commencing, as is tradition, at 11 a.m.

“We are extremely excited, proud, and very grateful that CSM Evans has accepted our invitation because her many accomplishments exemplify all of the key elements represented in the mission of the Veterans Plaza.” said W. David Watson, commander of Post 20. He further noted, “she has earned the deep respect of both active duty soldiers, and her fellow veterans.”

During her nearly 30-year military career in the United States Army she held every leadership position from squad leader to Command Sergeant Major, the highest non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. She served overseas and nationwide, as well as in several combat deployments, and in varied roles such as Intelligence Analyst, Counterintelligence Agent, Military Police, and Paratrooper.

She has received numerous awards and decorations including the Bronze Star. Her wounds in Afghanistan resulted in her near total loss of hearing, traumatic brain injury, and various other related challenges. With her hearing service dog, Aura, she has appeared on the “Megyn Kelly Show” and the “Today Show.” An avid marathon runner, she has been featured on CBS in “Courage in Sports,” and she will be inducted into the United States Veterans Hall of Fame later in 2020.

Using her experiences from her military service she authored the book, “Leading from the Front,” which poignantly tells the stories of soldiers in combat and peace. This has led her to becoming a highly acclaimed motivational speaker and teacher at leadership workshops for large corporations.

After moving close to 30 times over her career, Gretchen and her husband, Robert D. Evans, captain, chaplain, United States Navy (Ret.) along with their service dogs Aura and Rusty, retired to Brunswick in January 2020. Both of them plan to continue devoting much of their attention to helping numerous veteran support organizations including those who provide service dogs to veterans in need.