Wisconsin Guard taking the lead on resilience training

Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office

The Wisconsin Army National Guard is helping the U.S. Army's efforts to teach its Soldiers to cope with significant issues rather than bury those issues in an emotional minefield.

The National Guard Resilience University, located in the Wisconsin Military Academy at Fort McCoy, Wis., began offering five-day resilience training assistant (RTA) courses June 6. The first 10-day Master Resiliency Trainer (MRT) course will be offered July 18.

Resilience is described as a person's ability to bounce back from a setback, and is based on that person's perception of the setback and attitude about correcting it. When the Army was developing its master resiliency training program in 2009, Gen. George Casey, Jr. - then Army chief of staff - said the purpose was to bring mental fitness up to the same level as physical fitness.

"In this era of persistent conflict, we've found that the vast majority of Soldiers deploying have a positive growth experience because they're exposed to something very difficult and they succeed," Casey said, adding that the goal was to ensure all Soldiers have the skills to grow and succeed.

According to Lt. Col. Andrew Ratzlaff, commander of the Wisconsin Army National Guard's 3rd Battalion, 426th Regional Training Institute at WMA, Wisconsin National Guard master resilience trainers taught the RTA course in April to more than 200 students in San Diego as a run-through for launching the National Guard Resilience University.

"That training was the catalyst to push us forward," Ratzlaff said, noting that the journey to offer resiliency certification courses in Wisconsin began two years ago. "It's been a long, long road, but it's been worth the effort."

The school is open to National Guard, Army Reserve, active Army and military civilians. Ratzlaff expects to see all components take advantage of the National Guard Resilience University to meet Army goals. The 60-person master resilience trainer class will be offered once a month from July 2011 through September 2012. The class will be offered twice a month beginning October 2012.

Master resilience training is also offered at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where the concept was originally developed, and at Victory University at Fort Jackson, S.C. Mobile training teams also provide instruction across the country.

The National Guard Bureau has assigned Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey Cope of the North Carolina Army National Guard to be the lead instructor for resilience courses at the National Guard Resilience University. Maj. Sylvia Lopez, the Wisconsin Army National Guard's most advanced resilience trainer, is currently pursuing a Level 4 rating and will assist in course instruction. All master resilience trainers in the Wisconsin Army National Guard will help teach resilience classes in the coming months.

Ratzlaff said the two recent RTA courses went very well, based on feedback from students.

"If I had to grade it, it would be an A-minus," he said. "I was really pleased, considering it was our first attempt."

While the National Guard Resilience University will provide additional skill identifiers to its master resilience graduates, Ratzlaff emphasized that the skills those trainers will bring back to their units will benefit all Soldiers.

"It really gives the Soldier a skill set and tools to deal with everyday stressors of life," he said. "It's not just about deployed Soldiers - it's the everyday Soldier. These skills can be used once the uniform comes off - it applies everywhere."

Sgt. 1st Class Donald Grundy, a career counselor for the 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery and the 32nd Military Police Company - as well as a Level 2 resilience facilitator working toward Level 3 - agreed.

"I like to say that we should 'take these skill sets home first,'" he explained. "That is, we should apply them in our own life, then take it to the people we interact with. I feel I am better equipped now to deal with adversity and to seek what is good in our lives, and focus less on the negative that seems to try and work its way in."

Master Sgt. Peter Hansen, also a Level 2 facilitator, said he uses the skills he learned every day.

"One of the greatest tools I have received is the knowledge that an event does not cause me to react - it's my thoughts about the event that control my emotions and reactions," Hansen said. "I look for 'thinking traps' - knowing these thinking traps exist makes my decision-making process much more accurate."

Sara Poquette, a Wisconsin Army National Guard veteran and Yellow Ribbon Support Specialist, attended the June 13-17 RTA course and said resilience should be taught at every level.

"I have learned so much," she said. "These tools are so useful and relatable in our personal and professional lives. It allows us to ensure our service members can take care of themselves from the inside out."

Ratzlaff noted that many senior Wisconsin National Guard members will be on hand when the first MRT course begins in July.

"It shows that Wisconsin continues to lead the nation in trying to help our Soldiers," he said. "That's what we do."