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 Louisiana National Guard program teaches 'marriage maintenance' By 2nd Lt. Alex Juan
                Louisiana National Guard
 BATON ROUGE, La. - Louisiana Guardsmen recently attended training to learn to communicate effectively with their partners and strengthen the most important commitment in their lives - their marriages. The Louisiana National Guard Reintegration Office's Strong Bonds chaplains and the Office of Family Programs conducted a marriage enrichment retreat at the Baton Rouge Marriott Hotel, Jan. 21-23. Through discussion and practice, the chaplain-led program taught 30 LANG couples effective communication skills needed to nurture a lasting marriage. "All couples should participate in regular 'marriage maintenance'," said Charles N. Guilbeau Jr., Reintegration Office senior family readiness support assistant. "This keeps their marriage fresh and running smoothly." According to the chaplains facilitating the retreat, the experience is designed to get couples thinking about what commitment means to them and to give them the skill set to discuss those viewpoints effectively with one another. "This was a great opportunity for us," said Chastity J. Guillory, referencing the interaction with other military couples throughout the weekend retreat. She and her husband, Army Sgt. Caleb S. Guillory, with the 2228th Military Police Company, have been married for eight months. "We've been able to get tips from other couples as we begin our journey." Couples participated in various guided discussions on topics including effective communication, stress and relaxation, problem solving, spiritual oneness, financial freedom, forgiveness and commitment. Several chaplains and military life consultants and were available to monitor the discussions. "No matter how long you've been married, all couples have some issues," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Daniel E. Verbridge, Camp Beauregard training site. He and his wife, Linda have one daughter, three granddaughters and have been married for 33 years. The retreat ended with the opportunity for couples to renew their love for one another and exchange tokens of commitment. "I thought the Strong Bonds retreat was an excellent weekend," said Army Col. Jonathan T. Ball, 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team commander, who recently returned home after serving a year-long deployment in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn. "We reconnected and renewed our commitment to each other. We both feel rejuvenated and are thankful we spent this time participating in the retreat." He and his wife Karen have been married for 26 years and have two children. Strong Bonds Chaplain, Army Maj. Jeff Mitchell, encouraged couples to keep working on their marriages, reassured them that they have the necessary skills to communicate effectively and welcomed them to reach out to chaplains or military life consultants if they ever needed guidance in the future. Two additional Strong Bonds Couples retreats are scheduled for April 8-10 and July 15-17 in New Orleans. For additional information regarding registration, please contact: Strong Bonds Chaplain, Army Maj. Jeff Mitchell, (225) 319-4660 or jeffrey.mitchell6@us.army.mil.
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