You tell me ....
Soldier, historian, author … and a Warrior Forge cadet!
Story and photo by Bob Rosenburgh
Most cadets at Warrior Forge are embarking upon their first career in pursuit of becoming Army officers, but one 5th Regiment cadet has already made his mark in several professional fields of endeavor. As an SMP cadet from 2nd Battalion, 147th Infantry in the Texas National Guard, Cadet Jonathon Bernstein is also completing a degree in military history at Texas Tech University. Early in life, though, he developed a love of aviation. This fascination was put to use a staffer in the New Jersey Aviation Hall of Fame and Museum when he was a key member of a team restoring an Army AH-1F Cobra helicopter. He worked in several aviation museums in the east, including the National Warplane Museum and the Intrepid Museum in New York City. His fascination with flight continued to grow, so he wrote a book titled U.S. Army AH-1 Cobra Units in Vietnam (Osprey – 2003). That book, which is considered a valuable reference tool for both historical research and details for scale modelers, was such a success that Osprey commissioned him for a follow-on work, U.S. Army AH-64 Apache Units in Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. That makes Bernstein a twice-published international author, since Osprey’s titles are sold around the globe.
And now he’s well on the way to making history as well writing about it. Bernstein plans to branch Aviation and train to fly the AH-64 Apache himself, a goal which may well place him in the world’s hot spots in the near future.
“I just got my letter of acceptance to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 104th Attack Aviation in the Pennsylvania National Guard,” he said.
Bernstein’s successes come from setting goals and sticking to them, such as a promise to himself to get published by the time he was 30. “The Cobra book came out about two weeks before my 30th birthday,” he recalled, “so I made that goal.” And since his love of aviation focused on attack aircraft, he planned on getting that experience too, “and that’s pretty much why I’m doing what I’m doing.”
It’s a tall order, but Bernstein is no stranger to overcoming obstacles. “Writing the books was a challenge in itself,” he said, “because the Apache pilots were less accessible than the Cobra pilots were.” In fact, his first plan was a book on Huey gunships, but on contact with the publisher he found they preferred a Cobra book, so Bernstein shifted gears and jumped on the opportunity. “I got in touch with the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association and various unit associations and from there, it just took off … literally.” He said he interviewed more than 130 pilots and crews chiefs about their experiences from 1965 through 1973. Both books are profusely illustrated with photos he was given by his contacts, Bell Helicopter, Hughes (Boeing), VHPA members and graphics by Osprey staff.
“The unit I had the most contact with was the Blue Max Aerial Rocket Artillery,” and basically I’m their unit historian now.” His next book will be the story of that unit, which evolved from the 2nd Battalion, 20th Artillery to its current designation as Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment. His contacts with Blue Max were what led to the Apache book.
Bernstein will be commissioned as a second lieutenant on July 16 upon completion of Warrior Forge. “From here I’ll head back to Lubbock to pack up my gear,” he said, “then head to New York for a little more than a month before reporting to Fort Rucker in October.” He said flight training will be followed by Apache transition and then he’ll be a pilot in 1/104th.
Bernstein plans to marry in August, yet another one of his many goals that will certainly end in success. Jeff Herne, who is associate editor of FineScale Modeler magazine and worked with Jonathon on a number of museum and writing projects, said, “He's one of the best I know ... I think the Army still uses the phrase 'unlimited potential'. This guy's got it.”