The Messenger 06.19.12

A Union City man has been commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army following his graduation from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.
Cadet Taylor Lawrence Bruff, son of Tracy and Jennifer Bruff of of Union City, graduated last month from the U.S. Military Academy.
He is the grandson of Johnny and Patsy Bruff of Union City and Larry and Beverly Doring of Memphis. He has a sister, Allison Bruff.
Bruff graduated from Union City High School in 2008. While at West Point, he concentrated his studies within the department of nuclear engineering and physics. He was one of 19 cadets who earned a bachelor of science degree in nuclear engineering.
Bruff was named to the Dean’s List every semester.
During his tenure at the academy, Bruff earned the Air Assault Badge, German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge, the USMA Recondo Badge, the Commandant’s Wreath of Excellence and the USMA Physical Fitness Patch.
He graduated from Airborne School at Fort Benning, Ga.
During the spring semester of his third year, Bruff served as an exchange student at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. During his final year at the academy, he served as a cadet platoon leader. As a part of an internship program, he spent a summer at the Idaho Accelerator Center at Idaho State University, where he worked on a system of active interrogation of special nuclear material in a project for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
Vice President Joe Biden addressed the 1,032 graduates during last month’s graduation ceremony. Biden and superintendent Lt. Gen. David H. Huntoon presented the graduates with their diplomas.
Immediately after graduation, Bruff was commissioned as a second lieutenant.
The U.S. Military Academy is a four-year co-educational federal undergraduate liberal arts college located 50 miles north of New York City.
Founded in 1802 as America’s first college of engineering, it consistently ranks as one of the top colleges in the nation. A pre-eminent leader development institution, its mission remains constant — to educate, train and inspire cadets for careers of professional service to the Army and the nation.