Resiliency training helps servicemembers cope with deployed stress

Published Sept. 25, 2010
By Staff Sgt. Phillip Butterfield
332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq -- Deployments cause stress and stress, if not managed, can lead to consequences such as arguments, fights, mission failures and possible suicide.

Joint Base Balad had the opportunity to be the first base in the Southwest Asia area of responsibility to test the Flash Forward Resiliency Training Program, which is one of many programs that will be introduced to help servicemembers combat stress. The program was developed to address individual readiness, unit readiness and effective leadership to improve mission preparedness, and ultimately mission response and performance during times of great stress.

"This is the first class of its type in the U.S. Air Forces Central command and in the AOR," said Chaplain (Maj.) Yaakov Bindell, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing. "The intent of this training is to help servicmembers lower the occurrence of post-traumatic stress disorders and thoughts of suicidal, and hopefully eliminate them in the future."

Before the training began, some servicemembers, who attended had expectations of bettering themselves and becoming better leaders.

"I hope to develop through this training a better way to communicate with my Soldiers and their emotions," said Army Staff Sgt. Marissa Clark, Headquarter Headquarter Company, 36th Engineer Brigade human resources NCO, a native of Park Falls, Wis.

The training program offered seven modules ranging from leadership techniques and identifying what type of leader a person may be, to putting all the training together to evaluate stressful combat situations.

The training was helpful in reaffirming all the tools that leaders have in their toolboxes, said Army Lt. Col. Paul Dirksmeyer, 402nd Army Field Support Brigade chaplain, a native of Temple, Texas. "It gave me an opportunity to take them out, clean them up and sharpen them. The training was good because it was in a group atmosphere and we were able to get different viewpoints on scenarios."

Although the training package utilized group discussion, videos and visual presentations in a classroom setting, the overarching goal was to change the way people think.

"I hope that after this class, servicemembers will have changed mentally and become better leaders," said Rabbi Bindell, a native of Rockaway, N. J., deployed from the New Jersey National Guard. "The bottom line is being able to assess a fellow servicemember's present emotional state and assist them in not making bad choices, which may hurt them or someone else. It's about saving people."

Training how to stop people from getting into trouble, teaching them how to deal with a crisis and prepare for trauma, then return to their families emotionally, mentally and physically as good if not better is very important, said Major Bindell. "I hope this training expands through the AOR, so that over time there can be better awareness of resiliency to help servicemembers deal with what's going on in their lives right now."