Tag Archives: spiritual fitness

Chaplain Promotes Comprehensive Fitness in Afghanistan

US Army Chaplain (Capt) Randy Loux is a Fort Bragg-based Soldier currently deployed to Afghanistan to exercise his specialty in “spiritual strength.”

“Whether back in garrison at Fort Bragg, N.C., or in a combat zone in Afghanistan, spiritual fitness should be the no. 1 priority because when a soldier is first and foremost ‘spiritually fit,’ then all the others will naturally fall in place,” said Loux.

He accurately notes something that escapes some who oppose religious freedom in the military:  Read more

Panetta Talks Suicide Prevention, Mental Fitness

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta addressed the DOD and Department of Veterans Affairs Annual Suicide Prevention Conference (in June, though recently re-posted here), describing to the audience his four-point vision for the DoD to become a “game-changing innovator in the field of suicide prevention.”

Panetta’s vision includes vigilance on the part of leaders, improving behavioral healthcare, elevation of “mental fitness,” and increased research on suicide.

What was potentially most notable was what the Secretary didn’t say:  He never mentioned Chaplains, religion, faith, or “spiritual fitness,” despite Read more

Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Helps Artillerymen

While much of the public focus of the US Army’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness has been on spiritual fitness, an artillery unit at Joint Base Lewis-McChord was able to see a different angle to the Army’s effort to “boost performance” of Soldiers and their families:

CSF-PREP’s mission is twofold: helping Soldiers perform with greater ease and less stress, and enabling them to prevail in the face of adversity. The program focuses on making Soldiers and their families stronger Read more

Poor Spiritual Foundation May be Key to Military Suicides

An article at the Christian Post notes broken relationships are a strong trend in the list of contributing factors in those who commit suicide in the US military.  In addition, as has been noted here before, the concepts of moral injury and moral responsibility are significant in the US military — and young people today may not be equipped with the necessary moral foundation to deal with these issues.

A retired US Army chaplain said one of the contributing factors to suicide in today’s Army may be that men and women are entering the military with a substantially weaker spiritual foundation than prior generations — meaning they are often ill-equipped to handle the moral and life challenges they rapidly see in combat in today’s military:  Read more

US Military Chaplains Sponsor Social Fitness

The Comprehensive Airman Fitness program is modeled after the Army’s CSF.  While it makes sense that chaplains would support the spiritual resiliency portion of the program, it turns out they play a part in the social pillar as well:

The base chapel also offers a variety of groups and activities for people with a variety of beliefs and interests including Protestant programs, Catholic programs, groups for young adults, a single parents group, Mothers of Pre-schoolers, a monthly spaghetti dinner, and different retreats Read more

Spiritual Life Center Opens at Camp Buehring

“Being spiritually fit to fight is an essential element to being ready to accomplish your mission,” is Air Force Chaplain Lt. Col. Harp’s opinion on the mission of spiritual fitness.

Camp Buehring, Kuwait, recently opened its “Spiritual Life Center,” giving American troops at the remote base a place to “nurture the spiritual health of the warriors.”

Spiritual strength is one of the pillars of resiliency the military has attempted to support in its troops as they both fight in combat and reintegrate at home.

Study: Top Cause of PTSD is Moral Guilt

In an era in which society encourages each to do his own thing, and “right” is a relative term, a recent study seems to indicate many people do inherently have an understanding of morality at their core — and this may sometimes conflict with the actions required by military combat:

The conflicts that troops feel can range from survivor guilt from living through an attack where other troops died, to witnessing or participating in the unintentional killing of women or children, said researchers involved in the study.

The key quote comes near the end of the article:  Combat experienced US Marines were the subject group, and the study showed

Their condition [PTSD] was more closely linked to an inner conflict Read more

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