Photo By Staff Sgt. Felicia Jagdatt | “Bulldog” Soldiers from 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division...... read more read more
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American Soldiers are known world-wide for their physical fitness, but 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division’s leaders and ministry department know that every Soldier’s mental health is most important.
During the first weekend in May, three Strong Bonds events where conducted for the “Bulldog” Soldiers with three different audiences in mind: Families, married couples, and single Soldiers.
Behind every Soldier is a team, whether it’s the spouse and children at home or the battle buddies at work, said 3 ABCT’s chaplain, Maj. Claude Hoffman. The purpose behind these Strong Bonds events is to build those teams, which helps Soldiers learn to balance many separate entities, put trust in all relationships, and focus on the mission in front of them, whether personal or professional.
Two of the three events were in the form of a retreat and lasted three days in Tucson, Arizona, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. The third event was held on Friday, May 4, for single Soldiers at El Paso’s Top Golf.
All three events allowed the Soldiers to remove themselves from work and other distractions to focus solely on team building.
“Strong Bonds is a great opportunity to get away from the grind of everyday life,” said 1st Battalion, 77th Armored Regiment’s chaplain, Capt. Tiann Morgner. “We have a very busy op tempo, especially in 3rd Brigade, and this is an occasion where you don’t have anything else going on. It forces you to really look at your relationship when you otherwise wouldn’t.”
The Relationship Attachment Model, developed by Love Thinks, also forces couples to really look at their relationships by highlighting five topics: knowing, trusting, relying, committing, and touching.
“This model teaches Families the importance of communication,” said Morgner. “The entire R.A.M. is built off the knowledge that you have of your Family and their needs. It allows you to break up basic needs in every relationship to see what’s truly going on within it. If you don’t know the person you’re in a relationship with, then it dominoes. The more time you spend talking to those closest to you, the closer you’ll be to meeting the needs of the relationship.”
For Soldiers who are dedicated to meeting the needs of their relationships, 1st Sgt. Paul Salazar, the senior enlisted advisor for Company A, 1st Bn., 77st Ar. Regt., offers advice.
“The Army’s one giant marriage problem,” said Salazar. “The Soldiers may never, ever be able to balance the two because the two doesn’t fit anywhere in the training plan. If Soldiers are serious about maintaining their relationships with their children and their spouse, this is the best way to escape the reality of the military. While you’re here, you’ll have the luxury of building upon what you may have lost over the years.”
For Spc. Milan Basnet and his wife, Pavitra, this event was their start to building upon what they lost while separated over the past month.
“We really had a lot of time to talk here,” said Pavitra. “When we are home, we get distracted with our phones. Here, we talk for 24 hours.”
Basnet says that he is learning to say “let’s talk” because of these exercises, and it’s a step forward on the right path.
However, this event is just one step; the tools learned at Strong Bonds must be continuously put to practice in the home and work environment.
“It’s easy to fall into the old routines like picking up your phone or sitting in front of the TV to veg out instead of sitting down and talking to one another,” said Morgner. “It is a constant effort, and we have to be intentional about it. As with anything in life, you know, like going to the gym you have to actually be intentional about developing a routine, putting in effort when you’re exhausted, and working other things around getting the task done.”
For Soldiers who participated in the single Soldier event, “I Got Your Back,” building relationships and understanding others is necessary for their positive mental health, also.
It’s important for Soldiers to know that they can rely on those whom they work with, said Hoffman. This class specifically analyzes each Soldier’s character traits, as well as pointing out other traits that could lead to conflict. In the end, they learn to understand people that they other wise would discount due to lack of understanding, which leads to greater strong bonds.
Whether Soldiers participated in the Strong Bonds events or not, Hoffman and Morgner want to make it clear that they are available for every Soldier and their Family members, no matter the time.
“Chaplains are always available,” said Morgner. “Always. We are the one resource that is available 24-seven for Soldiers. Regardless of your faith background, we are there to support you whether it’s marital, personal, or spiritual issues. We are a safe space where you don’t have to be intimidated.”
| Date Taken: | 05.04.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 05.10.2018 13:49 |
| Story ID: | 276572 |
| Location: | EL PASO, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 57 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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