Retired Lt. Col. Steve Gray completed in January what he says was a rewarding and fulfilling career.
Gray, who retired at the end of January following 17 years of service as military liaison to U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., has dedicated his life to serving his country and helping Boozmans office attend to the needs of the states veterans.
Born and raised in Glenview, Ill., about 20 miles north of Chicago, Gray knew from an early age he wanted to serve in the Armed Forces.
Following high school, Gray attended Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he earned a degree in business administration, played three years of college basketball and football and was a member of the schools ROTC, before joining the Air Force.
It was then that Gray began his 24-year Air Force career, during which time he served as an air control squadron commander in Vietnam, was director of the Air National Guard recruiting program in the Pentagon, and was an advisor to the Commander in Chief of the Air Force. He also served as military advisor for Arkansas Gov, Asa Hutchinson during his time in the U.S. House of Representatives.
During his time working in Boozmans office, Gray was the jack-of-all-trades working as military liaison, helping the office to field questions about veteran issues, and most notably serving as a contact between veterans and the Department of Veterans Affairs in helping to file medical benefit claims.
Although the work cannot affect the outcome of a claim decision, it puts some extra eyeballs on process, Gray said. Sometimes they want to do this all on their own, but we try to at least make sure we can help guide them to a point of contact and stay with them throughout the process.
Perhaps Grays most lauded work extends to the effort he puts into a medal presentation ceremony Boozmans office conducts across the state to honor area veterans for their military service.
Gray estimates hes conducted nearly 800-900 ceremonies but personalizes each one to its respective veteran.
Gray and his staff receive the credentials and documentation of each veteran to determine the wars in which they served, their hometowns and background information to make each ceremony unique.
Even if they never saw combat, they still served the country and everyones service time is important, he said.
He said he prefers to present the medals in person, out of respect for the veterans and their families.
Traveling the state and recognizing our veterans, although time consuming, is very important and makes it more personal, he said. I could never envision a World War II veteran walking down to his mailbox to retrieve a package with his medals in it thats not the way I want to do this. You make a commitment when you put on a uniform on to serve country and we want to honor you.
Grays work and dedication to the states veterans has earned the respect of his boss, who says he sets the bar in the service he provides.
Steve goes above and beyond to address the needs of Arkansas veterans; he set the bar for what veterans should expect from a congressional office, Boozman said. Steve works after hours and on the weekends as a strong voice for the needs of our veterans and presenting service medals to veterans across the state always with a smile on his face. His passionate advocacy has resulted in better services offered at veterans facilities across the state.
Boozman also delivered a speech on the Senate floor last week recognizing Grays advocacy to the veterans community.
Similar respect is reciprocated to local veterans service officers.
He is going to be greatly missed, said Crawford County Veterans Service Officer Brenda Watson. He is so knowledgeable of all the wars and makes (each awards ceremony) personal. All of our veterans are all very impressed with how knowledgeable he was and were touched that he takes the time to present medals to them. I cant say enough about Steve. Hes one of a kind.
Ricky Young, the Veteran Service Officer in Sebastian County, thanked both Gray and Sen. Boozman for the respect shown to the states veterans.
Its hard to hit a moving target, and he is literally that where it concerns veterans, because he has never isolated one part of the state and he and Sen. Boozman have always done a fantastic job of being involved, Young said. That travel can take its toll, but somebody like Steve is geared for it. Hes got a passion for the job and is good at what he does.
Gray lives in Fayetteville with his wife, Sharon, in Fayetteville. The couple have a daughter, Heather, who also served in the Air Force.
In retirement, Gray said he and his wife plan to travel abroad, and then will resume his endeavors in some other capacity. Gray, a musician, said he would like to complete a bucket list item by visiting each State Veteran Home in the country and sing and perform for the veteran residents.
