Photo By Sgt. Jacqueline Pryor | The spouses and children of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division...... read more read more
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By Spc. Jacqueline M. Pryor
82nd Sustainment Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division Public Affairs
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Soldiers down-range can count on being busy almost 24-7. But for many family members, holding down the home front is also a full-time job. Deployed Soldiers can look forward to 18 days of rest & recuperation leave, but what about family members?
As part of the Strong Bonds, Chaplain Corps, retreats program, family members from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division received their own R&R this past weekend.
Chaplain (Maj.) Jeff Hawkins, the chaplain for 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, currently serving a 15 month combat tour in Iraq with 2nd BCT, decided that the families of the deployed troopers deserved a little R&R of their own.
In conjunction with his own leave, Hawkins was able to come down and host the retreat himself, with the help of several family readiness group leaders, and his own wife, Lori Hawkins.
"I realized, while I was a garrison chaplain at Fort Benning, Ga., exactly what the spouses go through," said Hawkins. "They are fighting their own war at home, while their soldier is fighting a war away."
Hawkins tried the retreat once with Fort Benning spouses, and it went well.
"About two months ago the idea to hold a retreat for the families came to mind, I didn't know if it would work, but I prayed on it," Hawkins said.
With the help of the 2nd BCT commander, Col. Billy Don Farris, and the acting commander Col. John G. Castles, Hawkins was able to get approval and funds from the Pentagon to hold the retreat, in hopes that it will become a permanent retreat that Strong Bonds will offer to Soldiers and their families.
"We didn't even mention it to the families until we knew the idea would be approved. The next step was to find a place during peak season that could hold up to 200 people," explained Hawkins.
"About seven weeks out, we still didn't have a hotel and it wasn't looking up for us. We were going to try to push it back to August," Hawkins said. "During one of the men's prayer circles, I mentioned it and said we should pray on it."
"The very next call I made was to here (Springmade Resort), and the manager didn't think there would be that many rooms available, but she checked for me anyway," Hawkins said. "It was truly a god thing; there were 100 rooms available for the weekend we wanted."
Everything came together wonderfully, said Hawkins.
This was a wonderful idea, because the wives need to be well appreciated, said Mrs. Hawkins.
"I just think that military wives are a special breed," said Mrs. Hawkins, "not everyone can do this. I salute the spouses."
"This has been a really good experience. More than anything I am thankful that the Chaplain, who is serving with our husbands, was able to come and speak for our guys," said Brooke Rivera, wife of Staff Sgt. Gregory Rivera, 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, and a former soldier herself.
Along with relaxation, the spouses did sessions where they received helpful information on how to deal with deployment and played games in order to get to know new people, while Fort Bragg Child and Youth Services watched their children.
"I did feel guilty," Rivera said. "I felt bad that I was enjoying the beach and water without my husband, but I do think that this will help our marriage in the long run."
The information provided was helpful, added Rivera.
"This is the third deployment my husband and I have been through, and this is the first retreat I've been on with the Army," said Summer Morales, 1st Bn., 325th AIR FRG leader and wife of Capt. Benjamin Morales. "I would want to do a couples retreat, if I could get a sitter."
The Strong Bonds program, building ready families, offers three different types of retreats; couples, families, and singles. The Home Front Heroes retreat will hopefully be added, said Hawkins.
| Date Taken: | 07.24.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 07.24.2007 14:10 |
| Story ID: | 11455 |
| Location: |
| Web Views: | 346 |
| Downloads: | 269 |
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