When James Bernsen isn’t engaged on his household’s farm west of San Antonio and at his job with a state company, he analyzes top-secret data and interprets spy stories as a Navy intelligence officer.
It’s the sort of work that helped him determine what actually occurred in Texas’ first revolution.
The Castroville native used his expertise to analysis a two-century-old insurgency, generally generally known as the Battle of the Medina, with the precision of a modern-day intelligence officer, leading to a e book, The Misplaced Struggle for Texas: Mexican Rebels, American Burrites, and the Texas Revolution of 1811.
Bernsen was working in Dallas as a press secretary for U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Texas) on Sept. 11, 2001.
“The workers was evacuated, however I used to be stored on as a result of I despatched out the press releases by fax,” he stated. “I spotted, that is my technology’s problem. So I made a decision to hitch the army.”
Shortly after, Bernsen was commissioned into the Navy Reserve, a program that permits service members to serve within the Navy whereas additionally sustaining a civilian life.
Within the 20 years since, the lieutenant commander has served in Iraq and Afghanistan and aboard the plane service USS Ronald Reagan within the South China Sea.
“Quite a lot of what I used to be doing in Iraq notably was conserving troops protected by offering data that helped defend the power,” he stated. “So I really feel actually blessed to have achieved that.”
Two years in the past, Bernsen’s mom died and he purchased the household farm close to the city of Qhihi, a chance afforded by his absolutely distant job with the Texas Workforce Fee. “Covid saved our farm,” he stated of the flexibility to earn a living from home.
Throughout that point, Bernsen additionally went again to high school and earned a grasp’s diploma in historical past at Texas State College so he may fulfill a longtime objective of not simply studying about historical past however writing about it as effectively.
“I’ve all the time been keen about historical past, and, really, that’s one of many issues I really like about intelligence within the Navy … you’re sort of finding out historical past and finding out present occasions and that intersection between them,” he stated.
However writing about historical past felt formidable to him.
“I took these courses and actually realized how historians do their job of writing and researching historical past, and it was eye-opening,” he stated.
He began the analysis for his e book as a part of his grasp’s thesis on a subject that’s all the time “fascinated” him.
“All people is aware of in regards to the second Texas Revolution — in 1836, the Alamo and San Jacinto and all that,” he stated. “However 25 years earlier than that, there was a significant struggle fought in Texas.”
It was a sequence of battles few individuals spoke about, he added. “And I believed that was actually odd, that such an vital occasion was neglected.”
After studying a e book about makes an attempt to search out the misplaced battlefield of the Battle of Medina, which was the most important battle ever fought in Texas and occurred south of San Antonio, Bernsen needed to understand how the battle happened.
(Study extra in regards to the seek for the battlefield by listening to this San Antonio Report podcast by Brandon Seale, “Discovering Medina.”)
Via his personal analysis, Bernsen discovered that there have been some similarities between the armies of the early nineteenth century and the modern-day wars throughout which he served. Like in his intelligence position, Bernsen regarded for patterns in what he uncovered on-line, utilizing family tree sources and 400 years of archival data.
“Getting these archival paperwork, these previous letters from individuals who have been concerned, getting all that collectively and simply piecing collectively led to … some fascinating conclusions that I feel goes to vary how this has been seen by most,” he stated.
What he uncovered in regards to the Texas Revolution of 1811 has ramifications for the way Texas’ second revolution is known, he defined. “Principally, this primary revolution created the circumstances that led to the settlement, after which the later second revolution in 1836,” he stated.
“We educate that Texas historical past begins when Stephen F. Austin confirmed up,” he stated, however there’s extra to that story. “No one in San Antonio even is aware of this, you had tons of of individuals killed, even drawn and quartered proper there on the River Stroll, and no person is aware of this historical past.”
Bernsen began the e book challenge in 2017 whereas deployed to Afghanistan and the e book was printed by Texas A&M College Press in July.
Along with instructing historical past at Texas A&M College-San Antonio, Bernsen is constant to analysis and write. His newest challenge is an article quickly to be printed in a historic journal about one of many Alamo defenders whose title seems twice on the Cenotaph, and the way that happened.
Bernsen hopes to proceed his position within the Navy Reserve for a couple of extra years but additionally is waiting for staying dwelling to spend extra time together with his 12-year-old son.
“It’s actually sort of been an honor and a privilege to have the ability to serve. It was a kind of issues that I didn’t know I might ever do that till that second [on 9/11],” he stated.
“I can discuss all day lengthy about historical past, however when that second comes that you just’re referred to as … I spotted at that time that I may both sit again and complain in regards to the world … or I could be part of the answer.”
