Mary Gray is the Founder and Executive Director of Operation Bandanas.  She lives in Fayetteville, North Carolina, with her husband who is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and Viet Nam veteran and who presently serves on staff at Village Baptist Church as Minister of Pastoral Care and Senior Adults.  They have three sons: the oldest, a career soldier serving in the U.S. Army; the middle son, serving as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State; and the                                     youngest son, a veteran of two deployments to Afghanistan, now serving                                       with the Department of Justice. They have one daughter, who came into

Mary is actively involved in her church, Village Baptist Church, in Fayetteville.  She leads a weekly Ladies Bible Study, is a MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers) mentor, is a Senior Adult Ladies Sunday School teacher and is involved in Women's Ministry and Military Ministry. She serves on the State Woman’s Missionary Union of NC Leadership Network as a Ministry Advocate for the Military.  She has written or contributed to numerous articles in various publications, including “Battlefields and Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan,” by Jane Hampton Cook; “Psalm 91, God’s Shield of Protection,” (2009 and 2010 editions) by Peggy Joyce Ruth; Lifeway’s “Deacon Magazine,” Summer, 2010, issue; “Tarheel Talk,”(WMU of NC,Winter, 2007 edition).  She is invited to speak at churches about the mission of Operation Bandanas and has exhibited and led sessions at numerous conventions and conferences. 

Before moving to Fayetteville in 2005, Mary and Eastland worked in ministry with the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home.  She was selected as Louisiana Mother of the Year in 2002.  Mary received her Women’s Ministry Certificate from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 1999.  While living in Louisiana, she was also a Christian women’s conference speaker and participated in Speaker’s Bureau as a speaker for several non-profit organizations, in addition to working on the staff of several non-profits, all involving family and child advocacy   Mary is devoted to serving God and her family and has always been involved in her church and in her community, no matter where she has lived.

Mary is happy to speak to any church, business or organization about the mission of Operation Bandanas.  She also enjoys speaking at Christian Women's Conferences motivating women to be all they can be in Christ.  She can be contacted at 910-578-8840 or bandanas91@yahoo.com.