ARLINGTON, Va.- The role of chaplains in the Army National Guard has diversified since the founding of the Army's Chaplain Corps in 1775. Now, chaplains focus not only on spiritual matters but also on helping Soldiers and their families, particularly in adjusting to home life after deployments.
One way Army Guard chaplains today provide that assistance is through the Strong Bonds program, which teaches relationship resiliency skills and helps Soldiers build greater relationship sustainment.
Army Capt. Derek Boucher, a chaplain and Strong Bonds program manager at the Army National Guard Readiness Center, said the purpose of Strong Bonds is to enhance participants' relationships by giving them communication tools to use in their relationship.
"It is not an intervention program," he said. "This program allows the participants to use these tools we are giving them to better their relationships and learn from the programs that we offer."
The program teaches couples to actively take steps to improve the quality of marriage while working on personal communication skills, said Army Col. Samuel Giese, chaplain with Joint Force Headquarters, District of Columbia National Guard, adding that a lot of couples improve the communication in their marriages after attending a Strong Bonds event.
While the program teaches communication skills, it can also help Soldiers and their families with other challenges they might face.
Soldiers often work in stressful situations, whether overseas or in the United States, and that stress can put a burden on relationships, making this program beneficial, Boucher said.
That stress can also be magnified during a deployment and the program often provide assistance to Soldiers transitioning home from a deployment, said Army Col. John Morris, staff chaplain for the Army National Guard, adding that Soldiers may experience strained relationships with loved ones while others may face challenges such as readjusting to civilian life.
To meet the family support needs of Army Guard members and families, more than 500 Strong Bonds events are scheduled across the nation this year with an anticipated 20,000 participants, said Boucher.
The best part of an event, said Army Col. Kenneth 'Ed' Brandt, chaplain with Joint Force Headquarters, Delaware National Guard, is when couples share personal 'tips' of getting through difficult times and how they overcame disagreements in their relationships.
"The program (brings) together people from various stages of their relationship and the sharing of perspectives helps people see the reality of being married, to include its joys and struggles," he said.
Soldiers from the District of Columbia Army Guard recently attended a Strong Bonds event and many shared personal experiences from attending the three-day course.
Army Staff Sgt. Armondo Leon, with the 275th Military Police Company, said he benefited from the speaking and listening portion of the event, adding that he has learned to communicate better, which may avoid arguments based on
misunderstandings.
Learning additional communication tools that can be used in a marriage is important, said Army Lt. Col. Roschelle Parks, commander of the District of Columbia Army Guard's Recruiting and Retention Battalion, adding that the Strong Bonds program has taught her better ways to communicate.
"It has taught me to listen more," she said. "We tend to cut each other off or anticipate what the other person is going to say."
While Strong Bonds works to strengthen personal relationships, chaplains are often part of another program that focuses on other aspects of intervention.
The Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training program is a suicide-intervention program that teaches Soldiers how to recognize actions, thoughts, feelings, events and physical aspects that can contribute to a Soldier having suicidal thoughts. The goal is to empower team and squad leaders and others in
everyday contact with Soldiers to recognize those signs early on.
Army Guard chaplains typically have day-to-day contact with Soldiers and are ASIST trained, said Army Capt. David Jordan, a personnel readiness chaplain at the Army National Guard Readiness Center, adding that chaplains are required to go through a two-day ASIST course as they are often a resource called upon in those circumstances.
"We're a natural resource that's organic to a unit," he said.
And sometimes all that Soldiers need is just someone to speak with and listen to them.
Chaplains need to be an active listener, Geise said, adding that when Soldiers speak with him, they "have my full attention...' I am with you and not going anywhere."