Samuel Prugh Samuel Houston Prugh, son of Walter L. and Jeanette Prugh of Kempner, is scheduled for promotion in early June to full colonel.

In April, Prugh was awarded The Order of Military Merit, the highest honorary distinction of the Brazilian Army.

When he is promoted next month, Prugh will join two other family members who are colonels: his father and a brother, David, each of whom is retired.

Sam Prugh, now a lieutenant colonel, is a 1981 graduate of Lampasas High School. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in June 1987.

He first served with the 82nd Airborne Division as a platoon leader, then with the 101st Airborne Division -- in a similar capacity --when it deployed to Saudi Arabia.

During Operation Desert Storm, Prugh served in Saudi Arabia with two of his brothers: David, an infantry officer, and Mark, a judge advocate general officer.

In addition, Sam served in South Korea as a company commander.

A graduate of the Basic Infantry Officers Course and Advanced Infantry Officers Course, he also graduated from Airborne and Ranger School and was an honor graduate at the Army Language School, where he specialized in Portuguese. He now reads, writes and translates the language.

He presently is serving in Brazil, where he graduated from the Command and General Staff School. He is scheduled to attend the Army War College in Rio de Janeiro.

Prugh is assigned to the South Command, with duty in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil.

Prugh and his wife, Rosi, who holds dual citizenship from Brazil and the United States, have a son, Enzo, 3 years old.