The Balancing Act
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...
View ArticleHonored by those we serve...
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...
View ArticleEssayons!
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...
View ArticleTraining to Lead: Thoughts of a ROTC senior cadet
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....
View ArticleA Midwesterner's Musings on ROTC in New England
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...
View ArticleIt's Only a Game...Not.
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...
View ArticleThe Bigger Picture
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...
View ArticleA Night to Remember
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...
View Article"That I Take this Obligation Freely..."
"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,...
View ArticleFor Everything there is a Season: Memorial Day, 2011
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...
View ArticleWe Own this Month: Petition to Rename June "The Army's Month."
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...
View ArticleFamily Strong: An American Legacy
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....
View ArticleThe Army's Comic-Con: The Conference of Army Historians
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...
View ArticleTask Force Maine: Mainers in the Green Mountains
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...
View ArticleArmy Lineage: Where the National Guard Always Wins
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...
View ArticleStand Firm Ye Boys From Maine...
First of all, my apologies. This is the first time since returning from the Engineer Basic Officer Leader Course at Fort Leonard Wood, MO that I have posted something. For those who want to know more...
View ArticleA Different Kind of Invasion: Being a Guardsman in Maine in the Summer
You can always tell when Summer has arrived in Maine. One good indicator is that there is no snow on the ground. The other is that the roads are full of cars with out-of-state license plates. Normally...
View ArticleMoving On: Giving up your Platoon
As officer trainees go through the various steps of their training, they are always told one thing: leading a platoon is the most fun you will ever have in the Army. And I can confirm that this is...
View ArticleOperation Dugout: Winter Storm Nemo Hits Maine
So as some of you may have heard, there was some snow in the northeast this past weekend. Like 32 inches of it outside my door. Being native to Ohio, not Maine, this is not something I am accustomed...
View ArticleEmployer Support: At the Heart of the National Guard
You know, being in the Guard is great: you get to do all the fun Army things (file reports, make powerpoint slides, go to meetings) and still have the flexibility to pursue a civilian profession (file...
View ArticleLet Us Try...to Tell the Story of the Birth of the Army Engineer Regiment
On June 16, 1775, the Continental Congress suffered a horrible realization. Still reveling in their creation of the US Army two days earlier, and slapping each other on the back for the formation of...
View ArticleSmall-Town Soldiers: the Heritage of America's Towns
This past weekend I was in Pepperell, MA for a family funeral. Pepperell is a small New England town that dates back to before the American Revolution. It has several lovely old houses and the...
View ArticleGettysburg: Maine's Finest Hour
Heritage is very important to those of us in the Army National Guard. July 1 will mark the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. For members of the Maine Army National Guard, the battle is...
View ArticleGettysburg: Maine's Finest Hour
Heritage is very important to those of us in the Army National Guard. July 1 will mark the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. For members of the Maine Army National Guard, the battle is...
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