Jonathan Bratten - Army Strong Stories

Army Lineage: Where the National Guard Always Wins

Jonathan Bratten — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 00:13:00 GMT

By: Jonathan Bratten
I believe most military personnel would agree when I say that competition is at the heart of the American military. We love it. Just look at the Army-Navy football game every year and you get a slight taste of it. Each arm of the services tries to outdo the other. Every branch of the Army competes vigorously for bragging rights. When I was in the Infantry, I was told that the pecking order went Special Forces, Rangers, Infantry, and then...read more

Task Force Maine: Mainers in the Green Mountains

Jonathan Bratten — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 07:54:00 GMT

By: Jonathan Bratten
When Tropical Storm Irene blew through New England, I was driving back to Maine from Canada. That should already show the faith I have that the weather forecasts will always be wrong. Aside from the gusts of wind that took a few power lines down in the road and the torrential downpour that we hit in northern Maine, the trip was fairly uneventful. By the time we reached Portland, the rain had stopped and the storm showed signs of leaving for good. I...read more

The Army's Comic-Con: The Conference of Army Historians

Jonathan Bratten — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 05:48:00 GMT

By: Jonathan Bratten
As thousands of comic book and fantasy fans were flocking to the annual Comic-Con Convention in California this month, a much smaller, but perhaps more devoted, crowd headed to Arlington, Virginia for the annual Conference of Army Historians. Like their counterparts in California, attendees of the CAH talked shop, debated hot topics (Pontiac's War in 1763: rebellion or insurgency?), and drank large quantities of coffee. Many of the attendees were...read more

Family Strong: An American Legacy

Jonathan Bratten — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 06:26:00 GMT

By: Jonathan Bratten
When people ask me, "Why did you join the Army?" I find that the only response is, "Please pull up a chair, this is going to take a while." Because there is no short answer for joining the military. Every person has their own reasons. For many, including myself, 9/11 was a big factor. Others see it as a way to advance themselves, give themselves discipline, or gain financial stability. As for me, it was a combination of all...read more

We Own this Month: Petition to Rename June "The Army's Month."

Jonathan Bratten — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 23:22:00 GMT

By: Jonathan Bratten
OK, so I lied. There is no petition. If there were, who would it go to? I doubt whether the naming of months falls under Congress's enumerated powers given by the Constitution. But now that I have your attention, I would like to persuade you of the validity of my argument. June is a month full of milestones for the Army. The month of July seems to always be lauded as that month where...read more

For Everything there is a Season: Memorial Day, 2011

Jonathan Bratten — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 04:45:00 GMT

By: Jonathan Bratten
As I write this, it is almost a week since Memorial Day. It has taken me this long to be able to put into words the way that Memorial Day now effects me. I am torn between wanting everyone to stop and remember those who were lost or to instead go about their holiday, enjoying their lives for those who cannot. For myself, I had to work this past Memorial Day and so could not really do either of those. I instead chose to spend the day remembering...read more

"That I Take this Obligation Freely..."

Jonathan Bratten — Tue, 17 May 2011 05:05:00 GMT

By: Jonathan Bratten
"I, Jonathan David Bratten, having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of second lieutenant do solemnly swear..." As much as one trains, prepares, and looks forward to one moment, it can always take you by surprise. I had expected to be nervous as I walked up to take the oath, but I did not expect how the oath itself would effect...read more

A Night to Remember

Jonathan Bratten — Mon, 02 May 2011 21:50:00 GMT

By: Jonathan Bratten
For every generation, there are defining moments that unite us in time. My generation and its future has been defined by a September day of crystal blue skies, when we watched in horror as our peaceful world ended, being torn in two by the ideas of a fanatical ideologue. On that day, I remember leaving my house to escape the scenes on the television and laying in the grass, looking up at the sky empty of contrails. It was a new world. I...read more

The Bigger Picture

Jonathan Bratten — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 00:14:00 GMT

By: Jonathan Bratten
One of the things that our Professor of Military Science always tells cadets to encourage them to stay in the program is that at least when they graduate they will have jobs. With the economy looking like a racehorse reluctant to leave the stable, this is always a good recruiting and retention point. And then Sec. Gates gave his West Point speech back in February that made people who had decided to go Guard/Reserve happier with their career choice....read more

It's Only a Game...Not.

Jonathan Bratten — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 06:20:00 GMT

By: Jonathan Bratten
Cadidiot. Dot. Almost-LT. I think every cadet, whether in the Guard/Reserve or not, has heard these phrases before. They are meant to be humorous, and come from enlisted and officers alike. It is part of the good-natured ribbing that is part of the Army experience. It even can come from ROTC cadre; if not the words themselves, then the implications that...read more

A Midwesterner's Musings on ROTC in New England

Jonathan Bratten — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 23:32:00 GMT

By: Jonathan Bratten
We all know what an idyllic winter looks like: soft, big snowflakes, drifting down in waves to blanket the country in a silent shroud; smoke from a woodstove slowly curling upwards above the roof of a house in the country; cardinals cheerfully hopping about from branch to branch, making mounds of snow fall on the heads of unsuspecting children who are building a snowman. Yes, that is what winter looks like. And if you are looking at this picture through a...read more

Training to Lead: Thoughts of a ROTC senior cadet

Jonathan Bratten — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 00:41:00 GMT

By: Jonathan Bratten
Do you remember when you first thought of joining the Army? Maybe you saw a recruiting video featuring a thundering Abrams, or you talked to a recruiter who told you stories about flying a Blackhawk. Whatever it was, you most likely thought that Army life would feature some sort of adventure and excitement, even when not deployed. The same holds true for ROTC. The recruiting...read more

Essayons!

Jonathan Bratten — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 05:53:00 GMT

By: Jonathan Bratten
As an exercise in situational awareness shows, my profile no longer shows the crossed cannon that signify the noble profession of Field Artillery. Rather, the crenellations of the crest of the Army Corps of Engineers are displayed. Why this change? In the world of ROTC, there comes a time in a cadet's senior year where they must do some soul-searching:...read more

Honored by those we serve...

Jonathan Bratten — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 13:49:00 GMT

By: Jonathan Bratten
This is a hard post to write, as Veterans Day is such a meaningful day for all those in uniform. I will try to do it justice, knowing that we all have those we remember who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Veterans Day has become difficult sort of "holiday" for current members of the armed services, and I am no exception. While we appreciate that the country takes a day off to remember the...read more

The Balancing Act

Jonathan Bratten — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 19:14:00 GMT

By: Jonathan Bratten
When one meets a junior or senior cadet on campus, they are most usually running to or from some event. They are never to be found standing still. If one could reach into their backpack and pull out their schedule, the reason for this would be come apparent: they have very little time. For juniors, their life is possessed by the art of learning the NCO position and for once in their lives being responsible for other people. For seniors, time is literally...read more

"The corps, and the corps, and the corps:" What it means to be an Army Cadet

Jonathan Bratten — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 00:14:00 GMT

By: Jonathan Bratten
"Always there echoes and re-echoes: Duty, Honor, Country. Today marks my final roll call with you. But I want you to know that when I cross the river, my last conscious thoughts will be of the corps, and the corps, and the corps. I bid you farewell." -Gen. Douglas MacArthur West Point. Reserve Officer Training Corps. Virginia...read more

I wake up in the morning...

Jonathan Bratten — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:28:00 GMT

By: Jonathan Bratten
0500. My bleary eyes dimly make out the time on my cell phone. Time to get up. It is at this moment that I am thankful for my enlisted training, which makes my body sit up before my brain can make up some excuse to go back to sleep. I would be bending the truth if I said that this action was not accompanied by muttered curses, followed by a quick succession of possible excuses for missing...read more

Beginnings are hard to do

Jonathan Bratten — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 03:15:00 GMT

By: Jonathan Bratten
Crawling through the leaves and sand of Georgia in the fall of 2008, I came to a profound realization: the Army was not exactly like those commercials, full of AH-64 Apache helocopters and M1 Abrams tanks. Nor had I expected it to be, but I did not necessarily expect to spend the better part of an afternoon low-crawling through the fauna and flora of FT Benning. Unbeknownst to me, learning to be an infantryman happened to be all about crawling through the bushes....read more

Lab Days: Situation Normal...

Jonathan Bratten — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 00:13:00 GMT

By: Jonathan Bratten
The sun glinted off the roll of concertina wire that was blocking the road. Soldiers in ACUs stood by, sweat dripping down their faces. The squad stood nervously at their TCP (Traffic Control Point), each soldier at his or her assigned position. The squad leader checked and rechecked that all personnel were in their appropriate positions to search a vehicle if it should come along. A moment later, a white truck rumbled into...read more