FORT RUCKER, Ala. -- The Army continues to support Soldiers' mental and physical health by providing the Master Resiliency Training Course, part of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness.
The course was enacted to enhance a Soldier's mind, mental thinking and ability to cope with daily stressors.
Master Resilience Training was developed in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania and encompasses the five dimensions of strength: physical, emotional, social, Family and spiritual.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey said the goal is to have one master resilience trainer per battalion by the end of this year.
The master resiliency trainers at Fort Rucker are graduates from the 10-day Army Master Resilience Training Course and have specialized training in teaching and applying the program.
Trainers are responsible for teaching four modules: resilience, building mental toughness, building character strength and building strong relationships.
"The MRT began in February 2010 for all Soldiers, Department of the Army civilians, contractors and dependents of Soldiers to cope with the unforeseen stresses we all face," said CW3 Rodney Brown, 1st Battalion, 145th Aviation Regiment senior instructor and training developer.
Brown takes advantage of his teaching time with Soldiers to allow them to share their challenges and adversities dealing with combat, Family and mental health.
"I utilize my training to engage my students on a personal level - to see things that are obvious to me that others may not see," said Brown. "I try to give them the support they deserve to allow them to become a more effective, efficient, understanding and sympathetic Soldier."
Last August, the first Army MRT course was taught to a group of 150 senior noncommissioned officers in Philadelphia. Since then, more than 1,300 Soldiers have completed the training.
All Soldiers are required to complete 28.5 hours of MRT training and take the Global Assessment Tool, an online tool designed to tell them how they fare in the five areas of comprehensive fitness and how they can improve in any specific area.
In addition to the resiliency training for the mind, the Army also helps with the Soldiers' spirit.
As a chaplain with 19 years of service Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Mickey Jett, Fort Rucker deputy garrison chaplain, - who recently returned from Afghanistan - said his mission is to tend to the "Spiritual Core" of Soldiers and Family members. This spiritual core is what keeps people resilient.
The core of a person's life is their spirit and faith in life, and God is paramount to how well the spirit is equipped to deal with adversity, he explained.
"Resiliency is affected by the things we believe," Jett said. "These beliefs influence the way we think, and those thoughts influence our actions, both public and private."
Faith in God makes a more resilient Soldier because it shapes beliefs, actions and gives people hope for a better tomorrow, Jett said.
Next spring, Army leaders are scheduled to meet at Fort Hood to discuss the importance of offering resiliency training to not only Soldiers but to Army community members who can also benefit from the training.
Ultimately, the symposium will consider what models of resiliency campuses, virtual and physical, can be standardized to benefit the whole Army.
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