Creating Strong Army Family Bonds

It is with great pleasure that 101st Sustainment Brigade Army Chaplain Sun Sim Macupa has contributed this piece about maintaining our relationships within our families.

Historically, Strong Bonds retreats have consisted of a hotel to stay in, some free time to enjoy with your spouse, and lots of listening to a Chaplain speak. It’s a good deal because the Army pays for soldiers to both enjoy time with their spouse and to get solid training. As with all programs, there are improvements made over time that help to make the program better. The weekend of August 7-9, 2009 proved to be a new stage in the development of Strong Bonds at Fort Campbell as members of 326 Engineering Battalion became the first group to go through a new track called Active Relationships.
Chaplain (CPT) Eric Light led the group and received training on this material earlier this year. “I like this material because it is so interactive” said Chaplain Light. The program uses group activities to help participants think through what they are being taught. Typically, the leader will conduct 15-20 minutes of lecture every hour with the remainder of that time being used to either discuss a topic and report the findings back to the group or to practice a relationship tool. “I find that there are plenty of folks out there who know more than me. It is great to hear these soldiers and spouses talk about all of their struggles and what they did to overcome their circumstances. They actually learn from one another and it bonds them together in ways we could not manufacture otherwise.” Commented Chaplain Light.
This was the second time Active Relationships was used at Fort Campbell. Chaplain Light also used this material to teach a Deployed Spouses one day event held at the FRC on July 29. “I have received positive feedback from everyone who has been in these trainings.” Said Chaplain Light. Here is what others had to say about this retreat:
“This seminar helped me a lot with communication barriers. It helped to understand that I need to take the feelings of my spouse into consideration. It also helped me to express how much I appreciate everything my wife does for me and our household.”
“I believe this program has great value and that if couples will use it on a daily basis there would be fewer marital problems.”
“This was a life changing event.”
Ultimately, the goal of Strong Bonds is to deepen and strengthen relationships. The Army invests heavily into insuring that these programs give soldiers the tools they need to have healthy, productive marriages. The soldiers and spouses of 326 Engineering Battalion received the tools to accomplish that goal, now they now must simply make the choice to use them.