Married Fort Drum colonels proud of their decades in Army together

FORT DRUM — For one soldier with the 10th Mountain Division, his service is more than just a job; it's an adventure for a lifetime.

Col. Kenneth W. Pruitt has a total of 42 years of Army participation, volunteering in 1966 right out of high school and officially retiring in 1994. After years as a defense contractor, he re-enlisted six months ago and is back for a two-year stint with the 10th Mountain Division, working in the operations cell that manages operations and training at Fort Drum.

"The good news is that I'm eligible for Social Security and I am still serving my country," Mr. Pruitt said. "With all the deployments, it's a fast-paced operation and I had to relearn some of the acronyms that I had lost touch with."

His wife, Lt. Col. Bonita L. Pruitt, also has plenty of years of service under her belt — on active duty since 1986. Mrs. Pruitt is the commander of Dental Activity on Fort Drum and served as a dental assistant in the Women's Army Corps from 1971 to 1973. The two met in 1973, when Mr. Pruitt needed his teeth cleaned.

When Mr. Pruitt came back to active duty by request of Maj. Gen. Michael L. Oates, the commander of 10th Mountain Division who is now deployed in Iraq, it was the first time his wife outranked him.

"When we first started dating, I was a captain and she was a private. I picked on her a lot. When I retired I would say that I was a taxpayer and that she still worked for me," he said. "Six months ago, when I came back on active duty, there were no excuses; she outranks me."

Husband and wife have 81 years of military service between them, as either a military spouse or an active duty member. They are fiercely proud of their service to their country and Mr. Pruitt said he couldn't be more happy with his decision to fall in with the 10th Division.

"I'm 62 years old and I'm still looking for the adventure, and that's why I'm back in the Army," he said. "It's quite interesting that I'm doing this by choice. I love the military and this is what I want to do. I no longer require a job; I require meaningful employment, and this is it."

Mr. Pruitt, who was an intelligence officer and pilot in Vietnam, came to Fort Drum with his Vietnam combat patch on his shoulder. He was eager to receive the 10th Mountain Division patch but was unsure of how or when that would happen — until he was invited to go to Iraq for a staff assistants' visit at the end of the summer. Gen. Oates was the one to award him the patch.

"I told him what an honor to get the patch in Iraq, from the CG, a month before I was eligible for Social Security," he said with a laugh.

Mr. Pruitt participated in short tours of duty for nine years, being sent to Honduras, Korea and Europe. His wife has gone on humanitarian missions and worked as a dentist for underprivileged children in rural Texas and in Central America.

They both said they believe the Army is the only reason they had a chance to experience such things and are proud their granddaughter, Danielle, is working toward joining the Air Force.

"It's an honor to have a legacy of people serving the country. That's what the military is about, giving of yourself to a higher cause," he said. "The training is different in each branch, the uniform is different, and where you can be stationed is different — that's it."

According to Mrs. Pruitt, every day is like Veterans Day for her husband. She said his outgoing personality makes it easy for him to approach people and strike up a conversation.

"He looks for the hats and the pins. He stops and takes the time to ask where they got that pin," she said. "Veterans are embedded in every walk of society and they have given something for their country."

The couple, for the first time, will be taking leave together later this week. They plan to go to San Antonio and visit friends they served with at Randolph Air Force Base. They also plan to visit wounded soldiers at the many military installations around the Texas city — even when they are on vacation.

"We blend our business with our life," he said. "It's not just a job, it's a lifestyle; it's an adventure.