SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The Army National Guard’s Resilience and Risk Reduction team conducted a Resilience Trainer Assistant course – the ARNG’s largest resilience training event to date – as part of the National Guard Bureau’s Annual Health Promotion and Prevention Training Workshop here April 25 to 29.
The RTA training gave Soldiers the skills to assist Master Resilience Trainers in teaching other Soldiers about the ARNG Resilience and Risk Reduction and Army Comprehensive Soldier Fitness programs. This training is one of the ARNG’s premiere efforts to build resilience in the force.
Along with increasing resilience and enhancing performance, RTA training develops the five dimensions of Soldier fitness: physical, emotional, social, spiritual and familial.
The ARNG’s RTA program is being implemented nationwide to maximize the number of RTAs so that Guard members are exposed to resilience concepts during the initial phase of their enlistment, at their units, through the entire deployment cycle and in garrison environments.
Program chiefs told attendees about psychological health, Counterdrug measures, sexual assault prevention and Risk and Resilience Reduction (R3).
“Look at the people around the world who could join the Army,” said Army Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum, director of the Army’s CSF program.
“These are people who are obviously patriotic. They’re good people. However, they don’t all necessarily have the skill-set and scope to effectively face the challenges and disappointment that come with the job.”
With the Army’s realization that physical fitness is not the end all-be all of top performance, a broader approach has been taken, and now the ARNG is providing RTA certification by Master Resilience Trainers.
The San Diego-based training produced 243 RTAs, the first-line leaders of the unit and the starting point of implementation of the program across the Guard.
This training was a train-the-trainer experience for 74 MRTs. Currently, there are 295 certified MRTs nationwide whose mission is making balanced, healthy, self-confident Soldiers, families, and Army civilians whose resilience and total fitness enable them to thrive in an era of high operational tempo and persistent conflict, according to the CSF page at www.army.mil.
Research suggests resilience is vital to overcoming any failure — and also to overcoming combat trauma and becoming stronger afterwards.
As a Major, Cornum, who served as a flight surgeon during the Gulf War, was shot down in a Black Hawk helicopter. She suffered two broken arms, a broken finger, a gunshot wound to the back and was a prisoner of war.
Her success coping with this adverse event spoke to the importance of frame of mind, Cornum said.
“How you come out of an event depends a lot on how you go into it,” she said.
She offered the example of running a marathon: It’s not something a person just jumps into, but rather something trained for over a long period of time. The key to success is training beforehand, not afterward.
The general said the emphasis placed on post-deployment should be changed: Service members should train for resilience prior to deployment, just like the marathon runner.
“You’re more successful if you train before the event,” she said.
The ARNG is working with researchers, doctors and medical professionals worldwide to better identify and expand treatment options.
At times, the National Guard has contributed up to 40 percent of the fighting force during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Earlier this year, Army Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, Army vice chief of staff, praised the Reserve component for being “truly remarkable” in what he called a decade-long era of “persistent engagement.” The health and well-being of U.S. forces is critical to national security, he said.
Life and family issues are a major cause of increased suicide attempts, according to medical professionals. The new Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program and medical and mental health providers are assisting in offering best practices for Soldiers and families. In fact, studies show relationship issues are a leading factor in suicide.
Although MRTs and RTAs are not suicide prevention experts, the Guard believes their training of coping skills better equips Soldiers to manage and even thrive in the face of life’s toughest challenges. Through use of these best practices, increased resilience plays a larger part in physical, emotional, spiritual, social and familial well-being.
One example: California’s embedded psychological health programs. According to Public Health Service Capt. Joan Hunter, the National Guard Bureau’s director of psychological health, the rest of the states are employing more psychological health professionals because of the success of California’s embedded programs.
The National Guard Bureau is striving to improve the health and fitness of the men, women, and families across the Guard. Working groups are implementing strategies in phases, using science-based curricula to facilitate CSF.
The ARNG has authorized for a prevention coordinator in each state to meet the goal of making strong minds, along with strong bodies.
“It is obvious by the amount of participation we have in this course that our leaders and Soldiers understand the importance that resilience has in our military life as well as our everyday lives,” said Army Lt. Col. John Williams, ARNG R3 chief.
“I heard some great interaction and breakthrough stories as Soldiers here had their ‘ah-ha’ moments,” Williams said. “Getting ahead of this will definitely make our Soldiers, civilians, and families more resilient to the stresses of deployments and daily life.”
– Army Staff Sgt. Jessica Inigo (Joint Task Force Sierra) contributed.