USMA Class of 1945, Captain Bruckner was the commander of Company A, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was Killed in Action while fighting the enemy in North Korea on 31 December 1951.

Bruckner was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.