UMTs provide support to Soldiers

NORTH FORT HOOD, Texas - The Greywolf Brigade's unit ministry teams are out in full force ensuring Soldier's morale and spiritual needs are being met during their brigade evaluation, Pegasus Forge III.

Despite the fast tempo and continued combat training, Soldiers are utilizing the resources made available to them while in the field by seeking counseling and spiritual fitness support from their battalion chaplains.

"I'm happy to see the chaplain out here," said Staff Sgt. Ernie Alexander, unit mobility technician, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. "Being out here away from my family and having minimum access to basic life comforts, it's a breath of fresh air to see the chaplain and his team."

The Chaplain and his UMTs are responsible for communicating with Soldiers and making themselves available to families, should they need the resource - no matter their religious background.

"Sometimes while we are in the field or deployed, Soldiers' families are going through a lot of hardships," said CH (MAJ) Christian Bang, brigade chaplain. "So that is what we can do in our counseling is provide that support to the Soldiers so they will be able to get through and manage it and continue to accomplish their mission."

The UMTs have a role that sometimes a Soldier's leadership cannot always fulfill, especially in a deployed or extended training environment.

"From our standpoint, its important for us to be here with the Soldiers because we give the commander what the pulse of the unit is," said Staff Sgt. Sherica Cox, brigade religious affairs NCO. "From the morale and spirituality aspect we are the only section that really has access to the Soldiers in this manner, it doesn't matter what their rank, job and spiritual background is, Chaplains are here to support all Soldiers.

Soldiers know that they can talk to us about anything, and if we have their confidence and confidentiality, then they will trust that what they say won't bring them grief down the line. We know and understand how difficult it is to be in this environment, but by us providing that guidance and comfort, the Soldiers can trust our presence."

Along with providing counseling and support to Soldiers and his battalion UMTs, Bang is also responsible for advising the commander both on the spiritual health of the organization as well as on the spiritual background of a local population in a deployed environment.

While religious support is not directly available from the Greywolf Brigade UMTs to local citizens, Bang said, they have the ability to meet with other local religious officials to discuss ways to continue to positively enhance and support the environment.

The Greywolf Brigade is finishing up its two-week long exercise evaluation in preparation for an upcoming rotation to the National Training Center.