MEDIA CONTEST: Seymour couples retreat

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  • News Entry 6
ACC MEDIA CONTEST --  Two couples from Seymour Johnson took part in the first-ever Phoenix Project Feb. 18-25 at the Heart of the Hills camp in Hunt, Texas.

Master Sgt. Paula Miller, base records manager, and her husband John Miller, along with Staff Sgt. Mark Jenner, 4th Security Forces Squadron military working dog handler, and his wife Erin Jenner were nominated by their first sergeants and commanders to attend the retreat.

"We were very fortunate to get two of our couples into this program," said Faye Jenkins, community readiness consultant. "There were slightly more than a dozen couples Department of Defense-wide selected to take part in the retreat."

The Phoenix Project is a free program designed for those who serve in the military and have been affected by war and terrorism. It is intended to help ease the physical, emotional, spiritual and relational strains that come with a deployment.

"This program was extremely helpful," said Sgt. Jenner, who recently returned from a deployment attached to a Marine battalion. "It enabled us to realize what we were both going through during my deployment, and we now have a better understanding of our feelings."

The Phoenix Project had many activities geared to create a stress-free environment and an atmosphere for interaction.

"There were massages, horseback riding and group and individual therapy sessions," Mrs. Jenner said. "The group therapy session covered everything from post-traumatic stress to reconnecting as a family."

The couples were able to take solace in the fact there are others out there who have to spend their time away from their loved ones.

"We learned that we're not alone," Mrs. Jenner said. "A lot of the feelings we've experienced through deployments and the homecoming process happens to everybody. It helps a lot knowing you're not the only one dealing with these issues."

For both couples, the event was a complete success and something they would love to experience again.

"It is an honor to say we were part of the first group to participate in this program," Sgt. Miller said. "We enjoyed it so much we jokingly told them we were going to crash the next one."