In an effort to promote spiritual fitness within the command, the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command headquarters officially opened its Prayer Warrior Room Monday as the SDDC command team, led by commanding general Maj. Gen. Gavin Lawrence, cut a ceremonial ribbon.
“I envision this is a safe place for SDDC to congregate while enriching and enhancing their spirituality,” said Chaplain (LTC) Seth Rone, SDDC chaplain. “Chaplains provide complete confidentiality to service members, family members, and authorized civilians as needed. This area offers a safe space to get to know their Chaplain section and will further their confidence to come to us when personal trials arise.”
The former conference room was transformed to provide a lounge-like ambience with coffee, books, lighting and furniture. The goal is to create an inviting atmosphere for Surface Warriors and provide a central and accessible location to the chaplain staff while allowing a more secure and private location for one-on-one sessions, according to Rone.
“The ability to have a ‘Chaplain’s Lounge’ gives service members and DoD civilians a place where they can enjoy a brief respite during their day and access to the chaplain and religious materials, which allows them to exercise their first amendment rights of free exercise of religion,” he said.
Army Field Manual 7-22 explains the Army’s Holistic Health and Fitness Doctrine. It is designed to build holistic peak performance in Soldiers and Army civilians, so that they have peak physical and mental fitness required to execute the mission and return home healthy.
Prior to the manual’s revision in 2020, four domains of individual Soldier readiness were addressed: physical, nutritional, mental, and sleep. Now, the updated doctrine includes spiritual readiness, recognizing that every person is a combination of the body, mind, and spirit. Spirituality and spiritual readiness relate to how people develop beliefs about the meaning of life and sense of connection with others. The spiritual pillar of health applies to all people, whether religious or non-religious, and it is unique to each individual person.
“The way I explain the human spirit is like comparing the difference between a house and a home,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jeffery Grimes, SDDC chaplain assistant. “If you look at the houses on base, the structures are all the same, but the homes are distinct and different from each other. It’s what’s inside that makes a house a home. That is spirit.”
The command has taken strides to foster and encourage each aspect of health for its workforce. Leadership recently updated the civilian fitness policy to allow civilians time during the week for physical exercise, even via telework. The G1 training section provides classes, seminars and speakers on a variety of topics ranging from nutrition to mental resilience.
The Prayer Warrior Room is another of those initiatives fostering the spiritual and emotional aspect of health within SDDC.
“I’m absolutely excited to see this Prayer Warrior Room come together and I want to thank Chaplain Rone and Sgt. 1st Class Grimes for all of their hard work in making it happen,” said Lawrence. “It’s important to be able to provide our workforce with a safe space where they can interact with our Chaplain Team and reflect upon their spiritual fitness.”
Lawrence added that with the operational tempo and global impact of the command, it is vital to ensure all aspects of health can be provided and fostered to the workforce.
“The human spirit is the spirit of the organization,” said Rone. “it’s important to take care of it.”
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