Capt. April Bruner is a trailblazer who is inspiring women everywhere. Bruner was the first female light infantry company commander in the Missouri Army National Guard. Bruner, of Jefferson City, Missouri, is currently assigned to the 35th Infantry Division serving as an International Organization for Migration (IOM) Liaison Officer and Education Center Coordinator at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar. The U.S. Army base is housing and processing Afghan travelers as they make their way towards the United States in support of the Department of State.
“It is a very rewarding assignment,” said Bruner, an education teacher on the civilian side. She’s using her background as professional educator to help facilitate the partnership with IOM of a learning center on Camp As Sayliyah for the Afghan travelers. “Working with any population of children is going to be very rewarding. This mission working with the guest population, especially children, and knowing what we’re doing here is going to help them transition, enhance their quality of life, and build bonds of resilience along the way, increases the overall reward for me.”
For Bruner, the best part so far has been working with Afghan women at Camp As Sayliyah. “I’ve had multiple female guests come up to me and express their gratitude for us being here, and to see a strong woman in the Army,” said Bruner. “We give them hope, seeing a strong female figure, and make them feel safe here. They’re happy; that’s probably some of the greatest feedback I’ve gotten since being here.”
Bruner credits her career success to strong role models in her life. “It’s those individuals, those role models that I’ve had ahead of me that have supported me, that have allowed me to pave that path that I’ve traveled down,” said Bruner. “Being a woman who has commanded both a sapper and infantry company, which was unheard of until a few years ago…I’m very grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given, and in turn I’m grateful to be in this position. Hopefully I can open doors for female Soldiers here, as well as future opportunities for the women in our guest population.”
Task Force Liberty supports Operation Spartan Shield, which maintains a U.S. military presence in Southwest Asia to strengthen U.S. defense relationships and build partner capacity in the Gulf region.
| Date Taken: | 03.25.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 03.26.2022 05:33 |
| Story ID: | 417240 |
| Location: | QA |
| Web Views: | 215 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 35th ID Soldier Pioneers Path for Women, by CPT Robert Hughes, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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