Photo By Sgt. Jasmine Higgins | Sgt. 1st Class Allen Schwerdt, a Master Resiliency Training instructor, engages the...... read more read more
Subscribe
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - “Sometimes even to live is an act of courage,” believed Lucious Annaeus Seneca, a Roman Stoic Philosopher.
The recent death of Robin Williams has been all over the headlines from social media to newsstands and headlined television broadcasts everywhere. Now shift your attention from the headlines and fix it to the frontlines: think about the Soldier from Your Town, USA that took his or her own life.
Suicide is prevalent in our society, and keeping up with suicide awareness, the Army began teaching Master Resiliency Training to Soldiers in 2009, according to Sgt. 1st Class Allen Schwerdt, Charlie Company, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, I Corps.
MRT is a class that offers constructive psychology tools to assist Soldiers and families in their ability to flourish in the brink of challenges and recover from adversity, and is targeted for all phases of a Soldier’s deployment, life and support system, according to the U.S. Army Medical Department website.
“MRT is here to make people aware of their actions and reactions to situations,” said Schwerdt.
Schwerdt begins his MRT classes by referring to the recent events that transpired with the famous actor and comedian. He then dove right into the mechanics of the class and began relating information to the Soldiers who sat before him.
“MRT is very important to suicide awareness and suicide awareness month, which is September, that’s why I started talking about suicide,” said Schwerdt. “I think real-time resilience [a skill that is taught in the MRT class] keeps you more aware of what’s going on in your surroundings and in your bubble of life.”
Among real-time resistance, the class touches on skills such as: Avoiding thinking traps, assertive communication and problem solving for Soldiers to continue to utilize and to educate one another about.
“I would definitely bring back the skills detecting icebergs and hunting the good stuff for Soldiers in my unit to benefit from,” said Spc. Reymond Wallace, a Soldier with Charlie Company, HHB, I Corps and a Bakersfield, Calif., native. “Detecting icebergs will help you notice a Soldier that is not the same, and from that you take hunt the good stuff and let them see the positives in the situation … Like hey you woke up another day,” said Wallace.
Schwerdt continued to review the skills and competencies of MRT to a group of Soldiers here on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., all while connecting to the Soldiers by demonstrating how MRT can impact their day-to-day lives.
“MRT was amazing today because it really kept me on my toes,” said Wallace. “With everything going on with the recent suicide of Robin Williams, it’s good to know that there are classes for us to take advantage of for ourselves or even just to educate others who may be going through a dark time.”
Throughout the class, Soldiers were forced to interact and share their opinions on the importance of MRT, and putting those skills to use.
“We weren’t allowed to just sit there and observe. We actually had to take the skills we were taught and decipher how we would use in real life to pick ourselves up when life knocks us down, basically; being resilient,” said Wallace.
MRT, a class that is being taught to Soldiers Army-wide, is a skill used to combat the ongoing battle for suicide prevention in the world today. According to a Japanese Proverb, fall seven times stand up eight, people have to recover from their hardships and that’s what the focus of MRT is about. Living resilient.
“Soldiers can benefit from MRT, but only if they apply what they are taught to everyday life,” said Wallace. “You are never above learning or trying no matter who you are, famous or not. You can take these skills and get better, because it’s never to late to change. MRT can make a difference in everything … even a life!”
| Date Taken: | 08.22.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 08.22.2014 17:53 |
| Story ID: | 140196 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US |
| Hometown: | BAKERSFIELD, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 141 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Living resilient, by SGT Jasmine Higgins, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT