Walt Disney World retreat brings 76 1-15 families closer together

Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, along with their spouses and children, got the opportunity to get away from Kelly Hill and relax during a recent marriage retreat May 8 -10 at Walt Disney World, Fla.

The retreat, which was organized by the battalion's Chaplain (Cpt.) Chul Jeon and his assistant Sgt. Jeremy Stewart, was focused on bringing families closer together. It was the first time any battalion in the brigade has done a retreat at WDW.

"This was the biggest and best retreat that I've been a part of as a chaplain's assistant," said Stewart

The retreat, which was attended by 76 families, lasted three days with lodging and most of the meals provided as part of the event.

"We had two goals for the retreat, one was to provide couples an opportunity to bond and become equipped with the knowledge and wisdom for a better marriage, and two, for the couples and families to have a great time," said Jeon.

Jeon continued, saying his battalion tries to do retreats like these four times a year, twice for the married couples and twice for the single Soldiers.

During the retreat, couples watched videos focused on helping men and women understand each other and their relationship. The videos were of Mark Gunger's couples seminar, which has been adopted in the chaplain's office "Strong Bonds" lesson plan. Topics covered in the seminar included "A tale of two Brains" and "The #1 key to great sex."

"The best part was getting time together and not having to worry about work or training," said Staff Sgt. Walter McEwing, 1-15 Infantry Regt. Staff Sgt. McEwing was retreating with his wife Mary, who is pregnant with their first child. "The lessons were funny and kept people listening."

"Based on the success of this retreat, other chaplains on Fort Benning are already inquiring about doing their retreats at Walt Disney World," said Jeon.