Mary L. Aurtrey
She enlisted at eighteen from Pinewood, South Carolina, and retired a Sergeant Major — the Army's senior enlisted rank — after service that reached from Fort Bliss to the halls of Allied command in Europe.
Service summary
- Branch & Corps: United States Army — Adjutant General's Corps
- Dates: 1969 to 1991 · 22 years · highest rank Sergeant Major (E‑9)
- Eras: Vietnam War era and the Persian Gulf War (1991)
- Foreign service: nearly nine years — Korea, Germany, and Belgium
- Separation: Honorable · Retirement · July 31, 1991 · Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana — the reason she became a Hoosier
A career of trust at the highest levels
From clerk typist at Fort Myer to Sergeant Major for Installation Support, she rose through every grade. In Europe she served as administrative non‑commissioned officer and stenographer for General Alexander Haig at SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) in Belgium — working in the speechwriters' office, where General Wesley Clark was among Haig's writers — then for General Rogers, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, and later at the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C.
In 1974 she was featured in an Army Times photograph promoting the All‑Volunteer Army.
Decorations & awards
Military education: U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy (1988) · U.S. Army First Sergeant Course (1989) · NCO Education System (Advanced) and numerous professional courses.
When her military chapter closed, she began a second full career in the federal government — retiring in 2016 from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service in Indianapolis as a Systems Accountant.
Service of record
- Oct – Dec 1991: Instructional Systems Specialist — U.S. Army Soldier Support Center, Directorate of Training & Doctrine, Fort Benjamin Harrison
- Jan 1992 – Dec 2016: Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) Center, Indianapolis
- Final official title at retirement: Systems Accountant · pay grades GS‑11 and GS‑12
- Recognition: Special Act Award · EEO training · Finance, Accounting & Budget certifications
The roles she held
Systems Accountant
Sustained HQARS, the central legacy system connecting DFAS accounting systems; safeguarded data integrity across field offices; trained fellow employees after certifying as a Lean Six Sigma Green and Black Belt.
Accountant
Briefed managers on accounting processes, owned funding accuracy, and traveled to Defense Accounting Offices in VA, MD, GA, and FL to prepare them for Finance & Accounting and Inspector General inspections.
Financial Analyst
Enforced disbursing and commercial-account procedures, analyzed accounting data for leadership briefings, and delivered expected financial outcomes.
Management Analyst
Applied DoD, DFAS, Treasury, and Army regulations to network management; identified internal-control weaknesses and coordinated corrective action with higher authorities.
Instructional Systems Specialist
Developed course-management plans, programs of instruction, and student guides for Enlisted Personnel Management courses; liaison between Fort Benjamin Harrison and the Reserve Forces Schools.
Professional certifications & training
Items marked ✓ on file have a certificate of record.
Off duty and in retirement, she has led, founded, and served across Indianapolis — for veterans, for women, for families, and for the next generation.
Leadership roles
- Network Director, Women In Networking (WIN), Indianapolis — coordinates monthly knowledge-sharing on mental health, homelessness, domestic violence, suicide prevention, and more; provides food, clothing, and linens to those in need.
- Chaplain, American Legion Women's Post 438 (American Legion District 11) — her current role.
- President, Woman's Life Chapter 703 — roughly ten years, growing membership by 50 percent.
- Advocate, Sister Soldier Network — for homeless female veterans and their families.
- Founder, Claudia Gilliard Scholarship Fund — established to support students.
- Volunteer, Crispus Attucks Center for African American History & Multicultural Education (Indianapolis Public Schools) — 13+ years of research and service; recipient of the Distinguished Service Award for Volunteerism (April 21, 1992).
- Volunteer, HVAF of Indiana & Ronald McDonald House — hot meals and hospitality for veterans and families.
- Charter Member, Military Women's Memorial; service story preserved by the Veterans History Project, Library of Congress.
Organizations recognized with her
At her HeroByApp™ Recognition Ceremony, twenty organizations she has served are honored alongside her — each receiving its own Certificate of Honor.
Affiliated Organizations (14)
Community Support Organizations (6)
Honors & recognitions
She earned three college degrees — most of them while serving — and a long record of federal financial-management, audit, and leadership credentials. Every item below is drawn from her Department of Veterans Affairs record, her Library of Congress oral history, and certificates of record.
College degrees
- Master of Arts, Executive Development & Adult Education — Ball State University
- Bachelor of Science, Business Management — University of Maryland · earned while serving in the U.S. Army
- Bachelor of Arts, Ministry — MLG Christian School Academy, Indianapolis
- Associate’s Degree, Accounting — Vincennes University, Indianapolis
Federal Financial Management Certificate Program · Management Concepts
Items marked ✓ on file have a certificate of record.
Process improvement, audit & financial management
Leadership & professional development
Her military schooling — the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy (1988), the First Sergeant Course (1989), and numerous professional courses — is listed under Military Service.