The Spouse Seminar is the hands down favorite program of the 442 Signal Battalion Unit Ministry Team. One of the reasons for its popularity is that the Spouse Seminar is completely Fort Gordon developed. Courtesy photo On March 23 to 25, the 442nd Signal Battalion Unit Ministry Team sponsored its second Spouse Seminar. The seminar consisted of three days of training to equip military spouses with the knowledge and resources they will need to care for their immediate family and to create vibrant Unit Readiness Groups to care for their larger military family. Our first Spouse Seminar was held in November of 2009 with 18 spouses participating in the training. This past March, 11 spouses participated including spouses from our Warrant Officer Basic Course, the Signal Basic Officer Leaders Course, the Signal Captains Career Course, and our spouses of our permanent party personnel.

Without question, the Spouse Seminar is the hands down favorite program of the 442 Signal Battalion Unit Ministry Team. One of the reasons for its popularity is that the Spouse Seminar is completely Fort Gordon grown and made. Unlike some of our other chaplain programs which are dependent on outside funding and contracts with external businesses and organizations, the Spouse Seminar is a product of Fort Gordon. The training takes place on Fort Gordon. Spouses attend classes in Greely Hall not far from where the husbands or wives are also engaged in training. Our trainers are members of the Fort Gordon community. Terry Ryan, Lynn Harshman and the Army Community Services Team organize a training curriculum that is timely and relevant. The seminar includes courses from the Army Family Team Building program levels one, two, and three. The Savvy Signal Spouses Smart Book, which is given to each seminar participant, may not yet be on the New York Times bestseller list, but it is highly cherished by our Spouse Seminar graduates. The training also includes the Family Readiness Care Team training taught by Shawn Williams. Each day of the seminar, the spouses enjoyed Lunch with their Soldier, courtesy of Fort Gordon’s Chapel, Tithes, and Offerings Fund, as Fort Gordon’s Family Life Chaplain, Chaplain (MAJ) Brian Mead shared Gary Chapman’s Five Love Languages.

The Spouse Seminar is a favorite of our Unit Ministry Team because it is Fort Gordon born and Fort Gordon made. It is also a favorite because we believe that training and caring for military spouses makes us a stronger Army. Providing knowledge and skills to military spouses needs to be as intentional as training Soldiers for the battlefield. Military spouses also deserve our care and recognition. They give countless hours of their time and energy caring for our Army’s Soldiers and their families. The Spouse Seminar is our opportunity to care and recognize our military spouses. Each day of the training started off with freshly brewed coffee and homemade goodies compliments of the previous spouse seminar graduates. It feels good to show our gratitude to those who have given so much. On May 7 Fort Gordon will be observing Military Spouse Day. Mark the date on your calendars and join us in celebrating military spouses.