Division East chaplain preaches resiliency

First Army Division East
Story by Staff Sgt. Stephen Crofoot

Date: 05.09.2013
Posted: 05.16.2013 14:44
News ID: 107047
Division East chaplain preaches resiliency

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. - As missions change, so must the training. Part of that change is taking time to reflect and recharge. Soldiers of First Army Division East did just that during a prayer breakfast.

Spiritual resilience, one of five dimensions of strength within the Army’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program, is designed to help service members define the deepest part of themselves. It requires a conscientious strengthening of beliefs, principles and values, according to CSF program.

During a recent prayer breakfast, First Army Division East soldiers learned more about spiritual resilience.

“Prayer Breakfasts are important because they address the soldier's deeper needs,” said Army Reserve Lt. Col. Jason Logan, deputy chaplain at First Army Division East, and the prayer breakfast’s guest speaker. “The Army believes fundamentally that the American soldier is more than just a body and that each soldier has unique needs. One of those specific needs - or pillars as we call them - is spiritual fitness,” he added.

Soldiers of First Army Division East are responsible for training Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers prior to deployment and demobilizing them when they return. Readiness is a huge task for the trainers, and it’s important for those trainers to pause and reflect from time to time said Logan.

“Our position - the Unit Ministry Team - is the soldier is composed of spirit, mind and body,” said Logan. “I would add that all three of these aspects are equally important and should be addressed when caring for soldiers,” Logan explained.

During the breakfast, as soldiers ate together, they discussed personal challenges and were able to talk to each other about their struggles. They learned about different examples of events that were proof of spiritual resilience.

Spiritual resilience, explained Logan, is allowing life events to strengthen an individual’s faith in a higher being.

“Everyone sitting at the table I was sitting at were so encouraged by the music, scripture selection and the message brought by the Chaplain,” said Army Reserve Master Sgt. Glenda Brown, First Army Division East Command Group senior enlisted adviser. “You left understanding exactly what he [Logan] was talking about, and how to apply it to your day-to-day. You left strengthened.”

Quarterly prayer breakfasts are held at the Fort Meade Installation Chapel to ensure Division East soldiers are afforded the opportunity to strengthen their spiritual resilience, explained Logan.

First Army Division East, mobilizes, trains, validates and deploys Reserve Component units to support overseas military operations. Along with Reserve component units, the division’s trainer/mentors prepare and deploy sailors and airmen, along with selected members of the interagency and intergovernmental departments, to provide trained and ready forces across a full-spectrum of operations to regional combatant commanders worldwide