TF Falcon focuses on resiliency

PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Soldiers, like all people, are exposed to stress.  Unlike the average American civilian, Soldiers are often taken from their home, required to stay in a foreign country for a year, and then crammed back into the world they left.  The Army has deduced that this is a jarring experience and developed a method of giving Soldiers tools to deal with the stress.  Master Resiliency Training was adopted.

“MRT is a system designed to help Soldiers become more self-aware and optimistic,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. David J. Boyle of Phoenix, the Master Resiliency Trainer for 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, Task Force Falcon.

Boyle travels to all the units that fall under TF Falcon and instructs Soldiers on the four modules of MRT; the goal, to make Soldiers more mentally resilient.

“I teach for two days; each day for six hours,” Boyle said.  “MRT gives Soldiers the tools to be able to better cope with their environment.”

The course covers 11 skill sets, all of which are intended to make Soldiers better able to deal with stress, both in the long term and in day-to-day events.  Topics covered include identifying thoughts and “mind traps.”

“Mind traps are the thoughts that a person usually has about something,” Boyle explained.  “An example of a mind trap would be to fall into the routine of constantly finding the worst thing about an idea or conversation.”

Boyle helps Soldiers identify their own mind traps, so they may be more aware of their usual patterns of thought.  In doing so, he said, Soldiers are able to determine if their reactions are healthy responses.

One key skill that’s taught is to review the day each evening.  Boyle said the trick is to find at least one positive event that occurred and to reflect on why it was positive for the individual.

“This makes it easier to look for the good things,” he said.  “The target is to make remaining optimistic easier.”

Boyle isn’t just regurgitating what he learned during the MRT course, he applies the course’s principles in his personal life.

“I try to follow everything that’s taught in the course,” said Boyle.  “I’m pretty confident that things would have gone a lot better for me, as far as my relationships, if I had known then what I know now.”

His students have expressed similar sentiments, and he often speaks with people who voice their appreciation of the course.

“It’s hard to be optimistic,” said U.S. Army Spc. Daniel Nelson, a legal assistance specialist with the task force and native of Hampshire, Ill.  “If you’re not, it’s hard to lead a good life.  If you can’t stay positive while deployed, you’ll go crazy.”