Guard historian selected for national scholar-in-residence program

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AUGUSTA, MAINE (03/25/2021) (readMedia)-- The U.S. Army Center of Military History has announced that Maine's Capt. Jonathan Bratten has been selected as their first Scholar in Residence.

A published author, Bratten will spend his first year as a guest faculty member at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, followed by a second year at the Army's Center of Military History in Washington, D.C., developing educational history tours known in the military as staff rides. Staff rides are an official training event prescribed in Army regulations, and are a useful tool for studying the conditions and events of historic battles as a means of learning the application of both military doctrine and tactics.

"I am beyond grateful and excited for this tremendous opportunity," said Bratten. "The first semester I'll be teaching the freshmen about the Army profession, which I find incredibly exciting because this is the topic that really instills our values and esprit de corps in the future officers. It's important that we provide a bedrock of knowledge of the profession, our ethics, and our values to future Army leaders. The second semester I will be teaching sophomores an overall survey of military history."

Bratten currently serves as the full time command historian for the Maine National Guard, in addition to commanding the 251st Engineer Company (Sapper), headquartered in Norway, Maine. He also previously commanded the 185th Engineer Support Company based in Houlton and Caribou, and recently deployed to Washington, D.C. in support of the 59th Presidential Inauguration.

"We're extremely proud of Capt. Bratten and this honor is well-deserved," said Maj. Gen. Douglas Farnham, Maine's adjutant general. "All aspects of our society benefit when our actions are based on a prudent and thoughtful examination of history, and the military is no exception to that. The passion that Jon brings to the study of military history is unparalleled and all our senior leaders, and the entire organization, have benefited from his work. He is a valued member of our National Guard family and we know the next generation of young Army leaders will benefit from his commitment to sharing his love of history. We wish him the very best and look forward to his return following this tour. This is a prime example of the Maine Army National Guard integrating with and supporting the active component in ways beyond just the battlefield."

In addition to his roles as a staff advisor and commander, Bratten is the subject of many community requests here in Maine, often giving lectures for various history and veterans' organizations, as well as in Maine schools through the Maine Army National Guard's History Outreach Program. He is well-versed in several areas of history, but his education and experience have led him to focus on colonial America, the Civil War, and World War I.

Bratten's recent book, To the Last Man: A National Guard Regiment in the Great War, 1917-1919, is available for free, download or hard copy, from Army University Press (https://www.armyupress.army.mil). It details the dramatic experiences of Maine's 103rd Infantry Regiment during World War I.

A native of Ohio, Bratten holds a bachelor's degree in history from Franciscan University of Steubenville and a master's degree in history from the University of New Hampshire. He and his wife, Margaret, currently live in Portland.

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Caption: Capt. Jonathan Bratten, command historian for the Maine National Guard, gives a presentation to a high school history class as part of the Maine Army National Guard's History Outreach Program. Bratten has been selected as the U. S. Army Center of Military History's first Scholar in Residence. Photo courtesy of Sgt. 1st Class Brent Randall, Maine Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion