CAMP GRIFFIN, Afghanistan – Whether on the front lines or conducting support operations, U.S. Army soldiers work hard. During a deployment, it’s important for them to unwind during their free time. Some listen to music -others learn to play it.

Soldiers with Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 84th Battalion, 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, participated in Guitar Sessions, a program where soldiers teach soldiers how to play guitar, at the chapel here March 17.

Capt. Alan R. McClelland, a San Diego native, now the 1-84 Field Artillery chaplain, has been playing guitar for 13 years and leads the Guitar Sessions program.

“We had a surplus of guitars in here, and I was thinking about how to best utilize those,” said McClelland. “In the meantime, some soldiers had come up to me and expressed their desire to learn the guitar. I said I’d be willing to teach them. So they started to come in when they had some down time and then it kind of evolved into a full session once a week.”

“I think it’s very smart of the chaplain,” said Pfc. Adam M. Mortensen, an Isanti, Minn., native, now a paralegal assigned to HHB. “I think, in a stressful environment, it allows soldiers to relax. They can go home and say ‘Hey honey, let me play you a song.’”

Mortensen has been playing guitar for three-and-a-half years and assists in teaching the guitar sessions program. He described playing the guitar as soothing and wanted to teach Soldiers that aspired to learn.

“I’ve always wanted to learn, but I’ve never had the opportunity for a consistent instructor,” said 1st Lt. Emma A. Schiller, a Redbank, N.J., native, now a military intelligence officer with HHB. “I sing a lot, but I can’t make my own music, because I don’t know how to play any instruments. And it seems like, if I could just learn guitar I could make my own music and wouldn’t have to rely on using CD’s for gigs.”

Schiller participated in guitar sessions and said she wants to follow through on learning how to play.

“I’d like to be able to play Taylor Swift songs and sing along,” said Schiller. “I sing her songs all the time, but I don’t have any music to go with it.”

The hard work that soldiers put in during a deployment can bring on stress, and it’s important they be able to relax and get their minds off the job during downtime, said Pfc. James R. Lambert, a Sidney, Ohio, native, now the 1-84th Field Artillery chaplain’s assistant.

“This is a really good way to just clear my head,” said Schiller. “The work hours are long and we don’t really get to think about much else.”

McClelland and Lambert have joined “Guitars for Soldiers,” an organization that soldiers can order free guitars from to help build the guitar sessions program.

“This is a great unit,” said McClelland. “Our soldiers work hard and they deserve every bit that we can give them.”

Guitar sessions is just one of several weekly events offered at the chapel that Soldiers can participate in to let themselves unwind, said Lambert.

“Everything we do brings soldiers in here,” said Lambert. “And that’s the important thing, is to get soldiers in here to give them time to relax.”

Connected Media