In This Issue•MessagefromLt.Gen.JamesC.McConville,
DeputyChiefofStaff,G-1
•WordsfromtheCSF2Director
•WarriorGames2014Recap
•Storyabout189thInfantryBrigade
•UpdatestotheMRTcoursecurriculum
•StoryabouttheArmyWoundedWarriorProgram
•UpdatefromWRAIRRTO
•UpdatefromCAPE
•StoryaboutthePerformanceTriad
How does the Army define ready?
Readinessistheabilitytoaccomplishassigned
tasksormissionsthroughresilience,individualand
collectiveteamtraining,andleadership.Readiness
istheendresultofthecollectiveemploymentof
theArmy’sresourcestoprepare,train,supportand
sustainitsSoldiers,CiviliansandFamilies.
How does the Army define resilience?
Resilienceisthemental,physical,emotional,
spiritualandbehavioralabilitytofaceandcope
withadversity,adapttochange,recover,learnand
growfromsetbacks.
Defining Ready and Resilient
October 2014Volume 1
Lt. Gen. James C. McConville, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1
R2 Quarterly Newsletter
Senior Leader SpotlightIamexcitedtojointheG-1teamandhavetheopportunitytomakeapositivedifferenceinthelivesofourpeople–ourSoldiers,theirFamiliesandArmyCivilians.
Inmypreviouspositionservingasthe101stAirborneDivisionCommandingGeneralatFortCampbell,Kentucky,Iobservedtheamazingworkbeingdonebyyou,ourMasterResilienceTrainers.TheworkyoudoequipsmembersofourArmywiththeskillstheyneedtonotonlyperformtheirbestatworkbuttoalsothriveathome.Whatyou’redoingaspartoftheComprehensiveSoldierandFamilyFitnessprogramstrengthensthefoundationofArmyValues,StandardsandtheProfessionofArmswealllivebyandencourageotherstofollow.
AsthenewDeputyChiefofStaff,G-1,IwillcontinuetopullfromtheexperiencesIhadattheDivisionlevel.Thefoundationoftrustandconfidenceyouallbuildinyourunitwillbecomepartofthoseyoutrain.TheseSoldiers,theirFamiliesandArmyCivilianswillremembertheskillsyouhavetaughtthemastheyfacepotentiallychallengingtimes.
TheArmyischanging.WearedrawingdownourpresenceinAfghanistanandwearestartingtoseeareductioninpersonnel.Wemuststrengthentheresilienceofourpeoplesothattheyareinamuchbetterpositiontodealwiththesestressorswhentheyarise.Itiscriticalthatyoucontinuetoinformandeducateothersaboutthevalueofbeingresilientanditsimpactonperformanceandreadiness.WemustallcontinuetobeArmyStrong.
ThankyoufortheworkyoudotosupportSoldiers,theirFamiliesandArmyCivilians.Continuetoincorporatetheskillsintoyourday-to-dayactivitiesandinteractions,anddemonstratewhatitmeanstostayreadyandliveresilient.Remember,theArmyisPeople,andPeoplematter!
If you have feedback on the newsletter, please visit
http://csf2.army.mil/contact.html for the appropriate address.
Stay Ready. Live Resilient.
IamexcitedtosharethenewsthatatHeadquarterswenowhaveoneintegratedArmyResiliencyDirectoratestaff.
InOctober,2013,theComprehensiveSoldierandFamilyFitnessprogramtransitionedfromG-3/5/7,andofficiallyjoinedtheG-1Family.ThisOctober,wecompletethattransitionaswefullyintegratewiththisrecently-establisheddirectorate.
TheArmyResiliencyDirectorate(ARD)isresponsibleforleadingthechargetomeetthegoalsoutlinedintheReadyandResilientCampaignPlan.TheCSF2staffmergerwiththerestoftheARDstaff(toincludethosefromotherpersonnelprograms,suchas:DeploymentHealthAssessmentProgram,SuicidePreventionProgram,andtheArmySubstanceAbuseProgram)willreducestovepipes,
redundancy,complexity,andrequirementsimposedonCommanders--allareasthatarecriticaltoimproveifwearetobesuccessfulatmeetingthegoalsoftheReadyandResilientCampaign.
Asyoucansee,we’verenamedthisnewsletterto“R2QuarterlyNewsletter”toreflectthisintegration,and,movingforward,thecontentwillexpandacrossallReadyandResilientCampaignefforts.YouwillnotonlyreceiveupdatesandnewsaboutallthegreatthingshappeningaspartoftheCSF2program,butyouwillalsohavetheopportunitytogetabetterunderstandingoftheoverallReadyandResilientinitiative,andseehowourArmy-wideeffortsareworkingtowardsbuildingamoreReadyandResilientArmy.
TheComprehensiveSoldierandFamilyFitnessprogramisthriving,andwillcontinuetodoso.IfullyexpectthattheworkourteamwilldoaspartoftheArmyResiliencyDirectoratewillnotonlymeet,butexceedyourexpectations,andthatyouwillseepositiveeffectsonthegroundasaresultofthatworkasyoucontinuetoserveSoldiers,theirFamilymembersandArmyCivilians.
Onanothernote,mytenureasCSF2Directoriscomingtoanend,asIamretiringafter30yearsofservice.Thetimingcouldnotbebetter.AswetransitiontooneARDstaff,thepositionofCSF2Directorwillceasetoexist.Col.KevinBigelmanisonboardnowtoleadthenewOperationsandTrainingDivisionwithinthedirectorate.ThisOperationsandTrainingDivisionhousesmostoftheCSF2staff,andIhavenodoubtCol.Bigelmanwillcontinuetomovethisprogram,andallotherReadyandResilienttrainingprogramsforward.
IthasbeenmypleasureandhonortoworkforaprogramthatismakingahugedifferenceinthelivesofSoldiers,theirFamiliesandArmyCivilians.Iamamazedatthetalent,driveandcompassionthateveryonewhoispartoftheCSF2Family–ourstaff,ourMRTs,ourProgramManagers,etc.–exhibitsonadailybasis.Youallexemplifywhatitmeanstoberesilient,anddemonstratetheArmyValues,andwillcontinuetodogreatthingsasyoubuildthatresilienceinothers.Mybesttoallofyou.
CSF2 Director’s Column
Col. Kenneth H. RiddleDirector, CSF2
Resilience Tips
Physical -Itisimportanttoreplenishcalorieslostduringexercisewithnutritiousfoods.Trytoeatwithinanhourafterexercise.Thiswillassistinrecoveryasthebodyisstillburningcaloriesatanelevatedrate.
Social-Knowhowpersuasioncanhelptobuildconfidenceinindividualsandteams.Effectiveleadersbuildconfidenceinteamsthroughverbalandnonverbalactions.Actionscanspeaklouderthanwordsbuteffectivewordscanfacilitatedrivingactions.
Spiritual -Connectwithothersbyjoiningaserviceorganization,acommunityoffaith,orsomeothergroupofpeoplewithsharedvaluesandbeliefswhereyoucanbecomeapartofsomethingbiggerthanyourself.
Emotional -Takechargeofthedaybycontrollingyourthoughts.Adayisfilledwithevents,somakeitachoicetodeterminehowthoseeventswillimpacttherestofyourday.Optimisticthinkingallowsustoremainrealistic,maintainhope,andfocusonsolutionswhenchangeispossible.
Family -Healthyfamiliessolveproblemswithcooperation,creativebrainstorming,andopennesstoothers,andplaceemphasisontheroleofsocialsupportandconnectedness(versusisolation)withinthefamily.
Warrior Games 2014 Recap
EightCSF2MRT-PerformanceExperts(MRT-PEs)culminatedtheirsupporttoArmyWarriorGamesathletesduringthe2014WarriorGamesinColoradoSprings,Colorado.TheseMRT-PEspartneredwitheachteamtoprovidebothperformanceenhancementandresilienceskillstrainingtoallArmyathletes.Theskillsareintendedtohelpathletesandcoachesprepareforcompetition,aswellastheirdailylives.
SomeMRT-PEs,includingSusanGoodman,hadtheopportunitytoworkwithathletesbetweenthetrialsandgames.GoodmanwaspartneredwiththeArcheryteam.“I’vebeenworkingwiththemforawhile;theyareveryadeptattheirmentalskills,”Goodmansaid.“Nowit’smoreaboutsettlingthemdownwhenthere’strashtalk,”shejoked.ReferringtotheWarriorGames,sheremarked,“Overcomingadversity–thisiswhereyouseeitdone.”
Afterfallingfromhisbikeduringthecyclingcompetition,Spc.JasonBlairtoldhimself,“Getbackonyourbikeandtrytocatchthepeoplethatpassedme.”Hecontinued,“IputintopracticetheCSF2prep.Theskillstheytaughtuscameinhandy,”creditingCSF2trainerswhohelpedpreparehim.
CongratulationstoalltheArmyathleteswhocompetedatthe2014WarriorGames,andthankyoutotheintrepidMRT-PEswhosupportedtheteams,enablingthemtobereadyforthegamesandlivemoreresilientlives.
Archery SusanGoodman,FortRileyCycling GrahamBlock,NCRField PetraKowalski,FortCarsonShooting LisaHutchison,FortBenningSittingVolleyball CraigMisiewicz,FortKnoxSwimming JoelDruvenga,FortRileyTrack SteveCohen,FortCampbellWheelchairBasketball JohnEvans,FortJackson
MRT-PE John Evans talks about cues and keywords with the Wheelchair Basketball Team during practice at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, Colorado Springs, CO.
189th Infantry Brigade uses CSF2 techniques to improve communication
Ofthedozensofuniqueunitpatcheswornbymorethanroughly5,500Reserve,NationalGuardandactivedutySoldiersparticipatinginWarriorExercise2014,atFortHunterLiggett,California,onestandsout–thatoftheFirstArmywornbyobserver,coachandtrainers(knownasOCs)from189thInfantryBrigade.
Col.RandallWickman,brigadecommander,189thInfantry,saidheandhisSoldiers,predominatelyseasonednoncommissionedofficersfromJointBaseLewis-McChord,Washington,aretryingtoreversethenotionthatOCsare“veryegocentric”andhavealltheanswers.
“Toremainhumbleandfocused,wehavevolunteeredourselvestobeobservedandcoachedatthesametime,”headded.
ExpertsfromtheJBLMCSF2TrainingCenterpartneredwith189thtodevelopthebrigade’sSoldiersascoaches.AtWarriorExerciseinJuly,twoMRT-PEsshadowedOCsduringtheirreviewswithtrainingunitsandprovidedon-sitefeedback.
ByincorporatingCSF2techniquesintotheexercise,Wickmansaidhehopestohelp“operationalize”aprogramoriginallydesignedtopromotepersonalgrowthandwell-being.
“Theyfocusmostlyonindividual-personinteraction.HowdoIspeaktosomeoneinalearningenvironmenttocoachthemdowntheroadwithoutbeingsuperior?”saidCommandSgt.Maj.ThomasReitmeier,189thInfantryBrigade.
Adoptingthetrainingunit’sgoalsisonemethodOCsusetobridgethecommunicationgapbetweentheobserverandtheobserved.OpennessisacharacteristicfarfromtheintimidatingimagetheFirstArmypatchwields,butclosertotheperception189thOCsaretryingtocreate.
MRT-PE Shannon Baird conducts observations with 189th Infantry Brigade’s Col. Vest at Fort Hunter-Liggett, California
Resilience Training helps Wounded Warrior Advocates walk with their Soldiers
TheArmyWoundedWarriorProgram,orAW2,2014RegionalTrainingeventwasheldatFortCarson,Colorado,fromAugust12-15,2014.Morethan50AW2advocatesfromthewesternregionoftheUnitedStatesattendedandspenttheseconddayoftrainingbuildingtheirresilienceandimprovingtheirperformance.Participantsspentthefirstpartofthedayexcitedlysharingtheir“GoodStuff”witheachother.
“Thereisalotofnegativityassociatedwithourwork.‘HunttheGoodStuff’helpsusovercomethatnegativity,”saidAnnetteBrown,anAW2advocateatFortCarson,referringtothemultitudeofchallengesAW2Soldiersandadvocatesface.“Inourhigh-stressjob,resiliencetrainingiswanted,needed,andappreciated,”saidTiffanyWatkins,anAW2advocateatFortCarson.AW2advocatesatFortCarsontrainquarterlyonresilienceandperformanceskills,helpingthemintheirpersonalandprofessionallives.“Goalsareimportant.Notjusthavingthem,butwritingthemdownandbeingrealisticaboutthem,”saidJasonWilcox,anotherAW2advocate.GoalSettingisafavoriteamongAW2advocates,especiallythecomponentcalled“What’sImportantNow.”ThisskillhelpsAW2advocatesprioritizethemyriadtaskstheyencountereachday,whichiscriticalwhenmanagingseveraluniquecasesatatime.Refreshertrainingisalsovitaltoinculcatingtheskills,andAW2recognizesthis.“Welearnsomethingneweverytime,andtheskillsbecomeahabitthemorewedothem,”explainedWatkins.AsBrownputit,“Wecanwalkwiththem,nottotallyintheirshoes,butbesidethem.”
Fort Carson CSF2 Program Manager, Sgt. 1st Class Sean Heath, helps facilitate the ‘Hunt the Good Stuff’ discussion.
What’s New in the Master Resilience Trainer Course?
Lastmonth,CSF2releasedVersion3.1oftheMasterResilienceTrainercourse(MRT-C)curriculumtotrainingvenuesandisalsoavailableontheMRTResourceCenter.Thenewerversionincludesminorimprovementsand“bugfixes”totheVersion3curriculumthatwaspublishedearlierthisyear.Amongtheupdatesaretrainernoteclarifications,updatedformattingonslidesandparticipantguides,andimprovedinstructionswithinthepracticalexercises.
Ms.ChristyFreeman,MRT-CPrimaryInstructoratFortGordon,said,“AttheendofanMRTcourse,itisourgoalthatnewMRTsleavefeelingcompetent,confident,andreadytoteachtheskillstotheirunitsandFamilymembers.
Version3.1providesthemostup-to-dateinformationwithimprovedtrainerinstructions,settingourMRTsupforsuccessinthefield.”Ms.AndreaRay,MRT-CPrimaryInstructoratFortBragg,concurs:“I’vealreadyobservedMRTsteachtheV3.1curriculumintheirunits,andI’veseenconfidenceandqualityinaction.”
CSF2continuestoencourageMRTswhowentthroughpreviousversionsoftheMRT-C(Versions1and2)tovisittheirinstallationCSF2TrainingCenterortheMRTResourceCentertoviewthevideosonthetwonewskills.Andresteasy-noadditionalupdatesareexpectedinthenearfuture.
WewouldliketotakethisopportunitytoacknowledgethecontributionsmadetotheV3.0/3.1curriculumbyDr.TizArnold,Mr.JonCarter,Dr.TobyElliman,Dr.AmandaHare,Ms.MeganHelf,Dr.KimberlyHelms,Maj.MollieKeith,Dr.JonMetzler,Dr.ToddRyska,Dr.JudithSaltzberg,Ms.MaureenShort,andMs.ElizabethVanLeer;manyofwhomarefeaturedinthephotographabove.(PhototakenduringtheVersion3.0AfterActionReview,June,2014)
Hunt The Good Stuff!Join CSF2 for “Hunt the Good Stuff Thursday” on Facebook and Twitter.
www.Facebook.com/ArmyCSF2Use hashtag #HTGS and tag us @ArmyCSF2
The Performance Triad supports Soldiers deploying to West Africa
TheArmySurgeonGeneral’sPerformanceTriadteamhasproducedatoolkitforSoldiersdeployingtoWestAfrica.RecentlyapprovedbytheViceChiefofStaffoftheArmy,Gen.Allyn,thekitprovidesactionableinformationonsleep,activity,andnutrition;andencourageshealthybehaviorsthrough“PERFORM”.InsupportofForceProtection,thegoalofPERFORMistooptimizeperformanceandsupportthephysical,emotional,andmentalhealthofthedeployingSoldiers.Multipleappsarerecommendedforuse,includingPerformanceTriad,Breathe2Relax,TacticalBreather,BattleBuddy,CBT-iCoach,andT2MoodTracker.PERFORMstandsfor:P=Protect&Hydrate,E=Exercise,R=Rest,F=FoodandRe-fuel,O=Observe,R=Recover,M=MentalEdge.
Byincreasingawarenessinthesethreekeyareas–sleep,activity,andnutrition–itisexpectedthatperformanceandresiliencewillimprove,thusSoldiersandunitswillmaintaingoodhealthduringdeployment.Thetoolkitcanbeusedinanytrainingenvironment.
ThePerformanceTriadisnestedwithintheReadyandResilientCampaign,whichpromoteshealthylifestylesandchoicesthroughthreekeycomponentsofsleep,
activity,andnutrition.Whileeachcomponentisindependentlyimportant,optimalperformanceisachievedwhenallthreeareasareaddressedsimultaneously.WhenSoldiers,Familymembers,andDACiviliansregularlyapplytherecommendedPerformanceTriadbehaviors,theywillmostassuredlyfeelthepositiveimpactsontheiroverallhealthandwellbeing.
AsofSeptember2,2014Lt.Cmdr.RobinToblin,Ph.D.,MPHisthenewbranchchiefoftheWalterReedArmyInstituteofResearch(WRAIR)ResearchTransitionOffice(RTO).SheisaclinicalpsychologistintheU.S.PublicHealthServiceandwasassignedtoWRAIRMilitaryPsychiatrybranchforthepastfouryearsundertheDoD-PublicHealthService(PHS)MentalHealthMemorandumofAgreement(MOA).
Concurrently,sheworkedatapsychiatryclinicatWalterReedNationalMilitaryMedicalCenter(WRNMMC)onedayaweekseeingservicememberswithseverecombat-relatedPost-traumaticStressDisorder.AtMilitaryPsychiatry,sheperformedworkinepidemiology,examininggriefandphysicalhealth,energydrinksandsleep,tobaccoandpeerinfluence,andchronicpainandopioiduse.
Shewasalsotheleadtrainingdeveloperandleadtrainer(providingtrainingtoSoldiersandtrain-the-trainertrainings)forthreeefficacystudiesonpost-deploymenttransitions,socialfitness,andsleepleadership.SheisalsoaMasterResilienceTrainer(MRT)andteachesresilienceskillsweeklyinaresiliencegroupatWRNMMC.
Introducing Lt. Cmdr. Robin Toblin, the new branch chief of WRAIR RTO
U.S. Army launches America’s Army – Our Profession ‘Living the Army Ethic’ theme
TheArmylaunchedthenewest“America’sArmy–OurProfession”themeonOctober1,“LivingtheArmyEthic:WhyandHowWeServe.”
TheChiefofStaffoftheArmy,Gen.RaymondT.Odierno,approvedthetheme,whichwillrunthroughfiscalyears2015and2016,tocontinuethemomentumgainedthrough2013“StandStrong”themes,“Trust”and“HonorableServiceandStewardship.”
TheArmy’sgoalfortheFY15-16themeistoreinforcetrust;inspirehonorableservice;strengthenourcommitmenttoethical,effective,andefficientstewardshipoftheArmyProfession;andenhanceourespritdecorps.Formoreinformation,visittheCenterfortheArmyProfessionandEthic(CAPE)website:cape.army.mil.
