Melvin Gatewood

Melvin is currently a Certified Peer Support Specialist with the Department of Veterans Affairs in Nashville, TN. He was born in Memphis, TN, and raised in Columbus, MS. Employed with the Federal Government for more than ten years, he has held many positions, but none as rewarding as a Peer Support Specialist, a title he has held since 2015. 


Melvin is a retired U.S. Army Combat Veteran with one deployment to Iraq. He enlisted into the Mississippi Army National Guard during high school, and completed basic training and advanced individual training at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. He was injured on April 19, 2005, while on a convoy mission and sustained burns to his body, a back injury, and earned a Purple Heart. Melvin overcame the odds placed against him and recovered before deciding to go back to school and received his Bachelor of Science in criminal justice in 2019. In 2021 he was selected as the inaugural Wounded Warrior Project Rusty Baggett Peer Leader of the Year award recipient. 


Melvin is also the President and Co-founder of Operation Continue Service, veterans Non-profit Organization dedicated to remembering fallen military personnel and supporting the veteran's community.




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