Strength for the journey

09.01.2009

Story by Pfc. Jarrett Branch 

17th Public Affairs Detachment

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Children scurried from floor to floor waving magic wands in front of treasure chests in hopes of completing the quest and earning the right to battle the dragon. The battle of dealing with the stresses of having a family member deployed were tackled in a series of talks during the Strong Bond three-day family retreat at the Great Wolf Lodge, Grand Mound, Wash., Aug. 26 to 28.

The Army Chaplain Corps provides a variety of Strong Bonds retreats, according to Col. Ken Hegtvedt, I Corps Chaplain.

"Strong Bond retreats are for couples and single Soldiers," Hegtvedt explained. "This particular retreat marks the first time it was held solely for families of deployed Soldiers. The attendees have spouses currently deployed with I Corps Headquarters and Headquarters Company in Iraq."

Strong Bonds is a unit-based, chaplain-led program designed to help Soldiers and their families build strong relationships. Its mission is to build Soldiers' readiness by providing skills that the Soldiers can use to strengthen their marriages and other relationships through fun and informative retreats and activities.

Hegtvedt said that they chose Great Wolf Lodge because the families didn't necessarily need a romantic weekend away; they needed a weekend where they could have time with their kids and have some personal time to themselves while their kids were entertained.

"As the deployments go on it gets harder for the kids and for the families to connect," said Petra Gould, wife of Maj. Scott Gould, I Corps G-3. "This was a chance to be able to take a look and see what kinds of things we could do to make our families stronger."

During the retreat the spouses took part in six sessions with topics such as 'We're in this Together' and 'Strength for the Journey.' These classes were open discussions in which the spouses were able to share their ideas and experiences with each other as well as their spouses.

"This isn't counseling," said Hegtvedt. "We are providing tools such as communication skills that help with diffusing stressful situations and being able to recognize stress warning signs.

"For example, we discuss how to avoid blow ups on the phone when you're talking to your [loved one] overseas and not have it escalate to slamming the phone and things like that," explained Hegtvedt. "These are tools that can develop good healthy relationships between a husband and wife or between parents and children."

Many of the spouses enjoyed the various sessions and activities the retreat had to offer.

"I think it's very interesting because there has been a lot of good information," said Gould. "It's been great so far."

The sessions were not the only activities during the retreat. The families took part in a number of the activities that Great Wolf Lodge had to offer. Many of them enjoyed a nice relaxing trip to the spa or got in a quick workout at the gym. The guests were also able to unwind by enjoying the water park and its many waterslides.

"The water park was my favorite thing because the waterslides were really fast," said 8-year-old Madison Gould, Petra and Scott Gould's daughter.

The children got a chance to enjoy the two video arcades, the child-friendly internet café, and even had their very own children's only spa. The main attraction for the children was playing an interactive scavenger hunt called MagicQuest.

"MagicQuest is a giant interactive scavenger hunt game," said Mathew Wilson, a Great Wolf Lodge employee. "There are 10 quest and three adventures that span across all five floors of the lodge, where you will follow hints, collect items, gather gold and cast spells. Once you finish the entire quest you get to fight the dragon. It's a lot of fun and a great family experience."

Hunter Anderson, son of Maj. Brandon Anderson, I Corps, said fighting the dragon was hard but he was having a blast playing the game. With all the activities and information taught during the retreat, many spouses found comfort in knowing that their families will be able to make it through difficult times.

"Many times the Soldier's gone and being able to have a strong bond makes it easier to deal with life when they are deployed," said Gould. "Retreats like this help us to know when the family comes back together it will be one working unit again."