Army sergeant finishes associate degree 20 years later

After five deployments and 20 years of military service, Army Sgt. First Class Marcel Pruner will realize a lifelong dream Saturday: earning a college degree.

Pruner, who has served in Central America and Iraq, will earn his associate degree in criminal justice during Burlington County College's commencement for 1,011 students in Pemberton.

Pruner, 38, an instructor at Fort Dix, began his military career directly out of high school at age 17. He started college in 1991.

"Somewhere along the line I didn't feel like I could continue," he said. "With building a family and a career, it was put on the back burner. I was deployed five times and then worked as a recruiter; I just didn't have the time to go back to school."

After his last deployment to Iraq in 2005 and time spent as a military recruiter, he decided to finish the job he had started more than a decade earlier.

"I wanted to make sure I did something with myself so that when I retired, I would have something to fall back on," Pruner said. "It was extremely difficult at first, but, amazingly, I was able to finish after only a year."

Leading his cheering section Saturday will be his wife, Courtney.

"I am so proud of him because he put his education on hold for me so that I could complete my bachelor's degree," said Courtney Pruner, a kindergarten teacher at Fort Dix Elementary School.

"He's always put everyone else first," she said. "This is more for his family than for him. With his retirement coming up, he wants to enable us to keep our quality of life. He really is selfless."

With Marcel's mother flying in from California, Saturday will be a huge day for the family, including the Pruners' daughters, Grace, 7, and Sydney, 4.

"I will be so prideful - a good chesty pride," Courtney Pruner said. "Our two daughters get to see the bar being raised in our household. Mom and Dad both have degrees now, so they know they have to follow in our footsteps."

Majoring in criminal justice, Pruner made a great impression on his instructors throughout his time at Burlington County College.

"Obviously, Marcel was an exceptional performer," said Joel Finkelstein, a senior adjunct professor who taught one of Pruner's last classes. "His personality and military training combined make him into a prime example of excellence for younger students."

Students like Pruner, who are interested in the material and challenge the professor with in-depth questions, are what make teaching so rewarding, Finkelstein said.

"He's just one of those guys, a straight-shooter," he said. "He says what he means and always brings a military discipline to his work. He gives that extra effort."

Pruner stressed his enthusiasm for criminal justice and the role he hopes it will take in his future career path.

"I know that's what I want to do when I get out of the military," he said. "I'm looking at the federal agencies."

He has encouraged other servicemen and women to return to school.

"The beautiful thing about the military is while you're still in you can use the tuition assistance," he said. "It's a phenomenal program. Why anybody wouldn't take advantage of it is beyond me."