Commander Nathan Gray returned to his home city this week to be awarded an honorary degree from University of Staffordshire. As a teenager, he used to gaze out of a classroom window at nearby City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College and see the University.
The 49-year-old said: “I’m so proud. It feels like I’ve completed a full circle coming back here. My message to young people is don’t believe there are limits. Be bold and start a journey.”
Nathan, who grew up in Sneyd Green, described how his career literally took him into the skies, where he found “endless possibility”. But he has also overcome huge challenges.
He was a trainee Harrier pilot in 2002 when he walked away from a seemingly “unsurvivable” crash. The plane he was flying exploded when a rotor blade inside the engine broke off. Nathan had to eject from the aircraft. His instructor, who was sitting behind him, died in the tragedy.
Despite the physical and mental scars, he found the resilience to continue his flying career and went on to become the top fighter pilot with the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm.
He has flown more than 140 combat missions into the heart of war zones. From holding the Taliban at bay in Afghanistan to leading a top-secret mission to seek out Osama Bin Laden in the mountains of the Hindu Kush, his story reads like the pages of a thriller.
Nathan is qualified as a commando green beret, paratrooper and forward air controller. A highly decorated retired senior naval officer, he is also a seasoned test pilot and instructor. He conducted the first ever launch of the F35 stealth jet – one of the world’s most advanced fighter aircraft.
Now he has become an Honorary Doctor of the University in recognition of his status as a hugely inspiring figure and role model.
Nathan received the award at one of this week’s degree ceremonies at the Stoke-on-Trent campus, where hundreds of graduates have been celebrating their achievements. They included individuals who serve in the Armed Forces and have studied at the University through a partnership with the Ministry of Defence.
The University’s Chancellor Major Levison Wood, who himself had a distinguished military career, presented Nathan with his honorary degree. The ceremony also included an address from Brigadier Leigh Drummond, the Head of the British Army’s Leadership Education and Development Group.
To build on the military theme, the celebrations included a performance by the Band and Bugles of the Rifles Regiment, who played as graduates and guests arrived for the ceremony.
Nathan, who is delighted to build further links with the University, added: “I’ve grown to be a rough diamond. It’s just so nice it’s my home university that is finishing off that polish. They are polishing that rough diamond.”