Email   Print   Share By Heather Graham, Sentinel News Editor

Facebook Digg Delicious September 3, 2009 | Living

Illustration by Jenifer Immer, Sentinel Designer

Soldiers and their spouses nestle while taking a sunset cruise on Lyndon B. Johnson Lake during the Strong Bonds marriage retreat at Horseshoe Bay, from Aug. 26 to Friday. Spc. Adam Carl Blazak, PAO, 11th Public Affairs Detachment

Soldiers and their Families are living in difficult times.

As the Global War on Terrorism continues, deployments follow. The economic crunch has hit military Families. Combat related stresses and issues are high.

Families are breaking; financial situations in many cases are bleak.

Unfortunately many Soldiers are turning their difficulties and problems inward instead of seeking help.

In far too many instances, suicide is attempted and, unfortunately, Soldiers are dying.

But suicide is preventable, and the Army has recognized that fact.

Instead of taking a reactive stance to combat suicides, the service has expanded to a proactive approach of tackling issues and indicators that can lead to suicide before they become life threatening.

Backed by Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. George Casey and Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Peter Chiarelli, III Corps and Fort Hood commander Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch has taken the offensive against suicide and suicide attempts by offering help intended to prevent such problems from escalating.

“The Army spends too much time trying to fix Soldiers and their Families after they’ve broken, and not enough to keep them from breaking,” Lynch said.

At Fort Hood, Lynch’s vision for building strength in Soldiers and their Families is a one-stop shop on the installation where help for the mind, body and spirit can be found.



The Resiliency Campus

Fort Hood’s Resiliency Campus uses a comprehensive approach to build strength in individuals and Families.

A city-block sized complex located at 31st Street and Battalion Avenue, the campus was based on feedback the general received from Soldiers and Family members.

The campus is Family-friendly and flexible, not one size fits all, according to its commandant, Col. Bill Rabena.

All of the offerings can be taken singularly or together, but everything is available in a centralized location.

“It’s a Family program,” Rabena said. “A lot of the stress is on the Family.”

Most importantly, the Resiliency Campus is something never before seen at Fort Hood or the Army and incorporates Lynch’s Family First mentality.

Lynch’s vision puts a cutting-edge Army resiliency concept into action, Rabena said.

It is a proactive step to solving the many challenges faced by Army Families.

The campus falls in line with the Army’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program that incorporates the same holistic approach to complete mind, body and spiritual health, and to prevent problems instead of dealing with drastic circumstances.

“Don’t wait until (problems) happen,” Rabena said. “(We need to) build resilience before it happens.”

Building resilience and preventing suicide requires strength of the mind, body and spirit to form healthy people.



The Issues

Soldiers, especially those who have experienced combat, are undergoing dramatic changes.

Sometimes the result of such change is positive but, especially for those who have been wounded, their return home can be wrought with difficulties that can lead to suicidal thoughts and actions.

“There are esteem issues, post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injuries, life issues with relationships, finances and the loss of body image,” Chaplain Jim Russell, Fort Hood Warrior Transition Unit, said.

When Soldiers are having problems in one area of their lives, the problems can affect them in other ways if Soldiers are not equiped with adequate tools, sufficient resources, or assistance.

One problem can affect all aspects of health – mind, body and spirit.

The goal is to build strength in Soldiers so they can face and overcome issues before they become insurmountable.

“We can develop a place where Soldiers and their Families can go and become more spiritually, physically and mentally fit so when they deploy they can come back in the same condition they left,” Lynch said.

That place is the Resiliency Campus.



The Mind

At Fort Hood’s Resiliency Campus, Soldiers and Family members can meet with counselors, get help with finances, obtain Army Emergency Relief loans and visit the Cognitive Enhancement and Assessment Center for help with such skills as goal setting, organization and college preparation.

Military Family Life Consultants offer short-term counseling in anger management, conflict resolution, communication and relationship issues.

Financial Readiness Branch staff can help Soldiers with financial issues from credit score analysis to financial planning and budgeting.

Resilience building exercise: Mind

Assess life issues, set and share goals.



The Body

For physical health, there is the Wellness Center and a functional fitness center.

The Wellness Center has staff available to help with tobacco cessation, diet and nutrition, health promotion evaluations and stress control. The functional fitness center offers CrossFit, Yoga, fitness coaching, massage therapy and weight training.

An outdoor track and a playground for children provide exercise opportunities outside.

Resilience building exercise: Body

Add one healthy food item to your diet each week. Substitute an apple for a candy bar.



The Spirit

Soldiers and Families can work on their spiritual side at the Spiritual Fitness Center.

The center offers a meditation area, a teen area, a coffee bistro, a library and counseling from chaplains.

At the bistro in the rear of the center, classes such as Battlemind and Battlefield Ethics are conducted for small groups.

A large meditation area is available for larger groups and classes.

The center is a non-denominational sanctuary and designed for reflection and meditation, which empowers Soldiers to work on, build and enhance their own beliefs.

The only part of the Resiliency Campus that is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the Spiritual Fitness Center is available to Soldiers and Families whenever they need a place for reflection or assistance.

This can be especially beneficial to Soldiers during a crisis of faith or ethics.

Resilience building exercise: Spirit

Take stock. Find a quiet place without distractions to reflect.



Outside the Campus

While the Resiliency Campus is all-encompassing for mind, body and spiritual fitness, Fort Hood offers other programs designed to ease stresses on Soldiers and their Families.

Marriage retreats, the Strong Bonds program, Applied Suicide Intervention Training, Army Family Team Building, Army Substance Abuse Program and the revitalized club system on Fort Hood provide other avenues toward health and resilience for Soldiers outside of the Resiliency Campus.

Relaxation and recreation are readily available on and around the installation. The headquarters building at the Resiliency Campus has a room filled with information and literature about available opportunities.



Fighting the stigma

Help is available, Soldiers and Families just need to ask.

Fort Hood leaders have joined Army leaders in encouraging Soldiers to seek help and eliminate the fear that seeking help equals weakness.

“We need to help our Soldiers and their Families understand that it’s OK to ask for help,” Chiarelli said. “We are committed to getting the message out to Soldiers that it is OK to get help.”

At Fort Hood, Lynch drives that message home when discussing his experiences in seeking help following his last deployment as commander of the 3rd Infantry Division.