ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. -- When U.S. Army Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Dillard was assigned to the Army Research, Development and Engineering Command nearly a year ago, his biggest challenge was finding a way to reach 14,000 employees who are spread across 28 states and in 11 countries.
Using three areas of his office with various backdrops, Dillard shoots three videos each week, which he posts on YouTube or on milTube, the DOD's version of YouTube. Along with the link to each video, Dillard adds an article that he writes about a current event and an encouraging thought for the day and emails it to leadership.
"Once leadership gets the email, they send it out to their employees," said Dillard. "With these videos, I can reach more people virtually since I can't meet all of them in person."
Each eight- to 15-minute video deals with a different type of resiliency -- Christian, Spiritual and Master Resiliency. The Master Resiliency videos are specifically geared toward Soldiers since they are required to complete Master Resiliency Training each quarter.
The Master Resiliency Training videos, which contain copyrighted Army curricula, are located in milTube. milTube, milWiki, milBook and milWire are part of milSuite, which are online tools and applications that focus on improving the method of secure collaboration for the DOD. milSuite is accessible to active military personnel and DOD civilians and contractors, using a Common Access Card.
"Resiliency is an important topic because Soldiers are being asked to shoulder the same responsibilities with less people due to the drawdown, so the burden -- whether it is danger or the amount of work -- is difficult," said Dillard. "Soldiers also often feel disconnected from the civilian sector, so that adds to their stress."
While resiliency is necessary for Soldiers, Dillard notes that is equally important for civilians.
"This is an unusual assignment because of the low density of Soldiers and high amount of civilians," said Dillard. "While the folks here work normal hours, the subject matter that they deal with is stressful -- from national security to future success of Soldiers. So, being resilient isn't just critical for Soldiers but for anyone in a stressful position."
One of Dillard's goals is to help RDECOM leadership understand the importance of inter-personal relationships and how collaboration between groups that don't normally interact with each other can lead to positive outcomes. He recently completed a series on group dynamics as part of the Spiritual Resiliency videos, and his next topic is generational differences. Dillard hopes to bridge the generational gap between the diverse groups -- baby boomers, Generation Xers and millennials -- that comprise RDECOM.
"You usually equate resiliency with bounce-back," said Dillard. "It is somebody who has been through a really hard time but they are like a rubber band, and they stretch outside their comfort zone and may be tossed all over but they bounce back due to some internal fortitude."
Dillard became an Army chaplain in 1998, blending his love of the military and his desire to care for and counsel people. Before he was commissioned in 1998, he served eight years in the National Guard and five years active duty. During 31 years of service, Dillard has deployed three times, and he has lived with his family in Germany, Korea and numerous places in the U.S.
As part of the Presbyterian Church in America, Dillard is required to fulfill the tenants of his faith, which forbids proselytizing, or pushing someone to convert to another religion. He ensures that each Christian video is labeled religious, and he begins each video by stating that it is his perspective and viewership is voluntary. Dillard also counsels employees and rotates responsibilities with the four chaplains assigned to APG.
"I take my approach to ministry like photography…you take a thousand pictures, and you're going to get 10 good ones," said Dillard. "With my videos, I can be virtually present everywhere in a variety of ways and hopefully reach many people."
-----
The U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command has the mission to ensure decisive overmatch for unified land operations to empower the Army, the joint warfighter and our nation. RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command.
Social Sharing