Think of when your soldier returned home from their last deployment, the anxiety of getting back to normal and moving forward as a family. Did you feel like the process of getting back into a routine took forever? If there was a program that helped you and your soldier get back on track as a couple, would you participate?

Producing healthy relationships within military families is very important today. With numerous deployments and separations, many families today need support and counseling to bring their families closer again. The Strong Bonds program is a unit and chaplain-led program that helps build resiliency through the strengthening of the Army Family. The main mission that is quite important is to ensure that each soldier and their family member is prepared and educated on their relationships after deployment. They offer various programs for different family situations such as; single-Soldier, couple, Family, and deployment.

Once my husband returned from his deployment we took this wonderful opportunity for us as a couple and we found it not only helpful but appreciated the “get away” feel of the retreat. After eight months apart it was nice to reconnect and have the guidance that his unit provided. Every couple will experience the tension of homecoming and will find it hard to sometimes deal with these situations alone. So it is a perfect time to pack up your things and escape for a few days, and work on re-building your relationship with your loved ones.

Taking that step to help your relationship maintain healthy will also help your soldier in the long run with military related tasks and missions. As reported by the Strong bonds website, “Healthy relationships contribute to the maintenance of a healthy Army and a secure future force. With increasing demands placed on Soldiers and Families, to include both frequent deployments and duty relocations, intimate relationships are fully tested. Research shows that training in communication skills, intimacy, and conflict management increases marital satisfaction and reduces rates of family violence.”

And looking from the aspect of children and single parents, this program has opened up new avenues for these families that they normally do not have a chance to experience. This is a stepping stone to many military families who have been through hard situations as a family. Over 100,000 soldiers and family members have participated in the Strong Bonds program and the Army has budgeted over $30 million for this program in 2010.
For more information about the Strong Bonds program, visit the Strong Bonds Web site or see your unit chaplain.