JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. - Soldiers are defined, by their creed, as professionals - they know their mission and how to accomplish it with honor because of training. Of course, at the end of the day, when they take off the uniform, they may find conflicts at home they have not trained for.
Army leaders today recognize the importance of increasing resilience, not just on the battlefield, but in every aspect of a soldier's life. Between deployments, field exercises and long hours, married soldiers can have a difficult time maintaining strong relationships with their spouses.
Army installations offer a diverse range of resilience-increasing resources for soldiers and Family members.
A resilient marriage seminar, given by Dr. Tim Kimmel of Family Matters, a non-profit ministry, was hosted by 1st Battalion (HIMARS), 94th Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Fires Brigade, as a resource for Soldiers and their spouses interested in strengthening their bond through a Christian, grace-based approach at the Four Chaplains Chapel, June 5.
The faith-based seminar isn't an odd concept, considering marriage-applicable verses in the Bible like 1 Corinthians 13:4, which says 'Love is patient, love is kind,' and the amount of military families that rely on spirituality and religious guidance to shepherd them through life.
For Spc. Kevin Miller, a generator mechanic with 606th Forward Support Company, 1st Battalion (155mm Towed), 377th Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Fires Bde., and his wife, Marisa Bannister, attending the seminar was a rewarding experience.
Miller and Bannister, natives of Middleborough, Mass., are a Catholic couple that were interested in the seminar because of a new addition to their family.
"We had a baby about a year ago, and we just want to get some pointers on how to work through things and resolve them in a way that's beneficial to our family," Bannister said.
The benefit was the seminar applied to spirituality and family fitness, two categories in the Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness Program that is part of the U.S. Army Ready and Resilient campaign. The focus on strengthening soldiers in all aspects allowed Miller to attend the seminar during duty hours with his spouse.
As part of the Army family, Bannister was able to attend as well.
"I'm just glad that they have resources like this on [Joint Base Lewis-McChord] offered to Family members," Bannister said.
Bannister said the seminar helped apply scriptures, like Corinthians, to modern day relationships. While Bannister said the seminar is designed with a Christian mindset, Miller noted that, as with any resilience training and regardless of religion, "the message is still the same: identify what you need to work on to help make your relationship better."
If you are interested in taking resilience training, or just want to see what programs are offered, talk to your first-line supervisor and Family Readiness Group leader about resilience-building opportunities for your unit.
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