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New Commander Is No Stranger To Fort Leonard Wood

St. Louis Public Radio | By Jonathan Ahl,
Jonathan Ahl
Published June 26, 2020 at 1:52 PM CDT
Brig. Gen. James Bonner and his wife, Debra, at the change of command ceremony at Fort Leonard Wood.
Fort Leonard Wood
Brig. Gen. James Bonner and his wife, Debra, at the change of command ceremony at Fort Leonard Wood.

Brig. Gen. James Bonner took command of Fort Leonard Wood on Friday, but it won’t take him long to get acclimated to the installation in the Ozarks.

This position is his fourth assignment at the post.

Bonner returns to Missouri from the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland, where he was the commander of the 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives Command.

The change of command ceremony at Fort Leonard Wood was sparsely attended because of coronavirus restrictions but still had the pageantry of a brass band playing military tunes and cannons firing to mark the occasion.

“As I embark on this fourth assignment here at Fort Leonard Wood, I am grateful and excited that the Army chose to reunite us with this phenomenal installation,” Bonner said. “It’s an honor to serve with this exceptional leadership team today.”

Bonner replaces Maj. Gen. Donna Martin, the first woman to lead Fort Leonard Wood in the installation’s 80-year history. She is headed to the Pentagon, where she will be the provost marshal general of the Army, the position that leads the Army’s Criminal Investigation Unit.

“As I leave Fort Leonard Wood, I won’t leave behind the lessons, nor will I miss an opportunity to talk to everyone I meet in Washington, D.C., about all the capabilities and the great people they will find here,” Martin said.

Martin led Fort Leonard Wood for a little less than two years. While she was in charge, the post saw the addition of jet service to the airport that serves both military and civilians, the groundbreaking of a new hospital for active-duty soldiers, their families and veterans, and the base dealing with the effects of coronavirus.

Fort Leonard Wood trains more than 80,000 soldiers each year.

Follow Jonathan on Twitter: @JonathanAhl

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Jonathan Ahl
Jonathan Ahl joined Iowa Public Radio as News Director in July 2008. He leads the news and talk show teams in field reporting, feature reporting, audio documentaries, and talk show content. With more than 17 years in public media, Jonathan is a nationally award-winning reporter that has worked at public radio stations in Macomb, Springfield and Peoria, IL. He served WCBU-FM in Peoria as news director before coming to Iowa. He also served as a part-time instructor at Bradley University teaching journalism and writing courses. Jonathan is currently serving a second term as president of PRNDI ââ
See stories by Jonathan Ahl
Jonathan Ahl
Jonathan Ahl reports from the Rolla Bureau for St. Louis Public Radio. His duties also include covering central and southern Missouri for Harvest Public Media. Before coming to St. Louis Public Radio in November of 2018, Jonathan was the General Manager for Tri States Public Radio in Macomb, Illinois. He previously was the News Director at Iowa Public Radio and before that at WCBU in Peoria, Illinois. Jonathan has also held reporting positions in central Illinois for public radio stations. Jonathan is originally from the Chicago area. He has a B.A. in Music Theory and Composition from Western Illinois University and an M.A. in Public Affairs Reporting from the University of Illinois at Springfield. He is an avid long distance runner, semi-professional saxophonist and die-hard Chicago Cubs fan.