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SAGINAW, Mich. (AP) — A Saginaw woman has become the first black woman in Michigan appointed commander of a Veterans of Foreign Wars post.

Kimberly Napoleon was installed Saturday as a commander of VFW Post 9931 in Bridgeport.

The 49-year-old Army veteran served in three military operations between 1987 and 1996, including the Persian Gulf War. She was medically retired in December 1996 because of injuries she sustained in the service that earned her a Bronze Star.

Napoleon tells MLive.com that once she learned she would become the first black woman commander of a VFW post in Michigan she realized her new leadership role “was a big deal.”

Michigan Department of Foreign Wars senior vice commander Phil Patterson says Napoleon “is a great asset to the post and the organization.”

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Information from: The Grand Rapids Press:MLive.com, http://www.mlive.com