CNC Machines announces first recipient of Veteran to Machinist scholarship

(From left) Joe Lamberty, assistant director of the Advanced Manufacturing Training Center; Kevin Bruffet, scholarship recipient and U.S. Army veteran; Curt Doherty, CEO; and David Wilkes, lead technician and U.S. Army veteran.

Sanford, Fla.-based CNC Machines has chosen Kevin Bruffet, Orlando, Fla., to receive its first Veteran to Machinist scholarship. The used CNC machine dealer established the scholarship program to support both the U.S. manufacturing industry and veterans returning to civilian life who want to start new careers.

Bruffet is a U.S. Army veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and recipient of the Purple Heart and several other awards and commendations. During his training and two-year deployment to Afghanistan, Bruffet missed the birth of one of his children and suffered life-altering injuries after his vehicle struck an IED, leaving him with a traumatic brain injury, ruptured discs, and neurological damage that forced him to take a medical retirement.

The husband and father of four attends the Valencia Advanced Manufacturing Training Center in Kissimmee, Fla. He is enrolled in the center's mechatronics program, which provides training and certification in mechanical operations and systems, industrial electricity and electronics, power fluids, and PLCs. Local manufacturers work with the school to hire students who acquire the transferrable skills for their organizations.