Roman Empire. Sigismund ' s writings constitute some of the earliest European accounts of Russian society, which was largely unknown to the rest of Europe at that time. At its height, the head of the family was styled as a graf or count – considered a title of higher nobility in the former Austrian system, and the Herbersteins once had nearly 1,000 farms paying tribute to the family.
Clemens is a great-grandson of Johann Herbert von Herberstein, a field marshal lieutenant in the Austro- Hungarian Army during World War I and Obersthofmeister – or“ Grand Master of the Court” – to Archduke Friedrich Karl.
Johann Herbert was the last living former graf of the House of Herberstein until his passing in 1940.
Following Austria-Hungary ' s defeat in the war, Austria passed a law on April 3, 1919, abolishing the monarchy and all noble titles, which has been in effect ever since.
But what about the castle? Clemens says that it ' s not all it ' s cracked up to be.
“ I didn ' t grow up in the castle. A cousin does live there but it ' s now home to a museum,” Herberstein said.“ In America, it ' s looked at kind of like a Cinderella-type thing but living in an old castle isn ' t always as nice as it sounds.”
The lack of some modern amenities can shatter the fairytale image, it seems.
He stressed that while his heritage is a fact of his life he can ' t change, he doesn ' t let it define him.
“ It ' s not the sole factor defining who I am,” Herberstein said.“ I like to forge my own path in life.”
A long path to America
Nobility or not, Clemens ' path to East Texas was not smoothly paved. After finishing secondary school, his first stop was boot camp. Herberstein joined the Austrian military, serving in the 6th Mountain Brigade of the nation ' s Land Forces.
He underwent a rigorous 18-month selection process to join the unit and served for four and a half years, which included multiple deployments such as six months in Kosovo. By the time he left the military, Herberstein had reached the rank of wachtmeister, or team sergeant.
Herberstein said he enjoyed his time in the military but found himself at a crossroads.
“ I felt that either I take a shot at making a life for myself in America or I spend my whole career in the military,” he said.“ If I had stayed, it would be hard to have a family or have many friends outside of the service since I would be away for so much of the time. It ' s a very different way to live.”
He added that to truly succeed and be fulfilled by a military career, one needs to devote oneself completely to it. EAST TEXAS A & M MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS.
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