Reintegration education

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Torri K. Larson
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  How well do you know your spouse? What color is your personality? What love language do you speak?

These questions and many others were asked at the most recent Reintegration Marriage Retreat Sept. 27 to 28 in Norwich, England where the 48th Fighter Wing Airman and Family Readiness Center, along with the 100th AFRC, hosted 20 couples at a classy hotel in a serene woodland setting.

"This is the fifth time we've had the retreat since 2006," said Ed Cole, 48th Force Support Squadron, AFRC community readiness consultant. "Those who are getting ready to deploy, or have recently come back have priority, but anyone can sign up."

Mr. Cole explained that a few years ago, with the deployment tempo picking up, the Air Force noticed a need for programs to fill the gaps for Airmen and their families to reconnect. The USAFE-initiated marriage retreat uses active communication, coupled with exercises that teach personality differences, to help with the adjustment period.

"There's a big misconception that you have to be having problems to participate," Mr. Cole said. "That's just not true. This retreat is a way to add new tools to your toolbox and spice up your marriage. It's not counseling and it's not therapy."

He said all the retreats he's been to were well-received by the attendees. In fact, the AFRC usually scores around 4.9 out of 5 on their customer surveys.

"The only thing I would change would be to make it longer," said April Cartwright, military spouse. She said she liked learning new ways of communicating and the retreat showed her several ideas she'd never thought of before.

Airman 1st Class Thomas Cartwright, 48th Medical Operations Squadron health services administrator, agreed with his wife.

"I came back with a lot more knowledge than I had going into (the retreat)," he said. "It helps identify areas of weakness so you can strengthen them."

Mr. Cole, Patti Dybdahl, Tech. Sgt. William Dominy, Connie Visitacion and Dr. Teresa Grear all shared their experiences and expertise with the attendees of the retreat. They told personal stories, held energizing activities and opened doors of communication between husband and wife.

"Although we're talking about serious things, we still like to have fun," Mr. Cole said. "We try to present subjects in a way that people feel comfortable discussing them."

The retreat is open to RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall and all the Geographicalyy Seperated Units in the United Kingdom. There are openings for 20 couples and they fill up quick.

"I think it's great the military is doing this," Mr. Cole said. "I just wish we could do it more frequently. There is a definite need and it's money well spent."

Mr. Cole said he realizes they're not going to solve problems in just two days, but at least they can give individuals ideas and tools to deal with issues and concerns.

"I would recommend this to others," said Airman Cartwright. "I learned about personality differences and recieved new ideas to talk through confrontations."