Soldiers and Family members know what it means to sacrifice. With the frequent moves and missions in the Army, they know what it means to pack up and leave. They know what it means for a spouse to "go to the field" or deploy for an extended period of time. They know full well what it means to separate and sacrifice.
Undoubtedly, Soldiers and their relationships are taking a beating. So the Army is now putting back into families what the demands are taking out of them.
The Strong Bonds program is a Congress supported program that provides funds to the Army to help Soldiers build stronger relationships. There are specialized programs for married and single Soldiers. There are also programs to help those Soldiers who will soon deploy, are deployed or will redeploy.
According to the Strong Bonds Web site at www.strong bonds.org, the program "empowers Soldiers and their loved ones with relationship-building skills and connects them to community health and support resources. It is a holistic, preventative program committed to the restoration and preservation of Army families, even those near crisis. The program is initiated and led by the Army Chaplains. More than 90 percent of those who have attended the program rate it positively."
The program typically involves an overnight offsite retreat at a four or five-star facility with an excursion built in. There is seminar-based class instruction with childcare often provided for couples so that they can focus their attention on the curriculum offered. The following topics are just a few examples of the curriculum: Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage, How to Avoid Marrying a JERK, Marriage: Lasting Intimacy Through Nurturing, Knowledge and Skill (LINKS), Survival Skills for Healthy Families by Family Wellness, Seven Habits of Highly Effective Army Families, Couples Communication and Eight Habits of Highly Successful Marriages.
Another benefit of the Strong Bonds program is that units have statistically reported that they not only bond with their loved ones but they begin to bond with other Army families, chaplains and the Army community as a whole. This in turn builds a strong unit cohesion and esprit de' corps, and the support system builds. And the enjoyment of serving in this demanding military can actually be a joy rather than a chore.
Over the last year, events have occurred in Colorado, Alaska, Germany, Korea and Japan. More events are planned for the coming year at various global locations. Interested parties should contact their unit chaplain or chaplain assistant for information about future events.
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