Courtesy Photo | A San Jose resident, Staff Sgt. Michael Anthony Parkes, operations non-commissioned...... read more read more
PHILADELPHIA -- Two miles away from Independence Hall, just off the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, U.S. Army soldiers are being taught the skills to be resilient warriors by a cadre of fellow soldiers and mental health professionals. Set during a record-hot July, another class of Master Resilience Trainers are learning how to train other soldiers to be resilient and just like during those hot and humid days of July 1776, these soldiers are forging something new and remarkable.
The 10-day Master Resilience Training Course is part of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness, which seeks to enhance the resilience of soldiers, by increasing physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and Family strengths through a program of continuous self-development, according to Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum, director, Comprehensive Soldier Fitness.
The course teaches soldiers how to cope with adversity and how to work for positive outcomes when they are confronted with challenges. Drawing on the experience of combat-deployed veterans and seasoned mental health professionals, the course aids soldiers in arming them with the tools to handle adversity positively and constructively.
“Resiliency is almost like a PMCS [preventative maintenance, checks and service], for the minds of our soldiers and civilians. So when they are put in stressful situations they already know how to act and react to them,” said Army veteran of 17 years, Sgt. 1st Class Daniel R. Mason, facilitator, Master Resilience Training, a resident of Alexandria, Va.
The two-year-old program, MRTC uses materials from the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Resilience Program. The materials have been tailored for use with the Army, with the ultimate goal to have enough MRTC graduates sufficient to have one per platoon, according to Cornum.
“Currently, we are just working towards one [MRT] per battalion and brigade,” said Cornum.
MRTC is important because it allows soldiers to develop greater abilities to handle stress, meanwhile staying focused on the mission, according to Mason. “On the same token, they come back from combat, they’re stronger, there’s less stress and their relationships are stronger,” said Mason.
Among the more than 150 attendees for this class, is Staff Sgt. Michael Anthony Parkes, operations non-commissioned officer-in-charge, 12th Psychological Operations Bn., 7th Psychological Operations Group, U.S. Army Civil Affairs & Psychological Operations Command (Airborne).
Parkes, is a U.S. Army Reserve soldier from San Jose, Calif., and works for the Defense Language Institute at Monterrey, Calif., where he is a guard. Parkes is a model of resilience. His cool and collected demeanor does not show the adversity he endured in the past year. Widowed after an automobile accident, Nov. 20, 2010, Parkes said he finds his motivation and resilience in his two sons.
“It’s hard to look at myself and say ‘oh yes, you’re resilient’,” said Parkes. “If I look at the raw data, I must be resilient, just because I’ve been able to progress with work, continue drilling [Reserve Army duty] and take care of my two-year-old, full-time and nine-year-old half the time.”
Parkes, found his inspiration to serve from his father, retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Michael Aurther Parkes.
For a MRTC graduate to be successful, he or she must bring back the skills they learned at the course to their soldiers, but more importantly, they must live those skills, and allow other soldiers to model resilience based on that model, according to Mason.
Parkes looks forward to bringing back his newly refined resilience tools to his soldiers. “If I can go back and help just one soldier, I’ve accomplished my mission,” said Parkes.
| Date Taken: | 07.26.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 07.26.2011 17:05 |
| Story ID: | 74347 |
| Location: | PHILADELPHIA, PA, US |
| Web Views: | 350 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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