A Mentor-Based Christian Marriage Curriculum for Young Military Couples At Barksdale/Shaw Air Force Bases

Healthy military marriages able to communicate effectively and resolve conflict can build stronger more resilient marriages. More resilient marriages will produce healthier military communities and airman, soldiers, marines and sailors who are more adapt to focus on the mission. In order to build healthier marriages couples married five years or less need a support network/mentors to aide them in building strong foundations and effective strategies for their marriages. Marriage effectiveness/resiliency depends more on relationships, support networks and training than on any other issue. This dissertation presents a researched-based protocol that creates resilient military marriages and fosters mentor-based training. It showed how two effective mentor-based trainings helped couples grow stronger in their communication and conflict resolution skills. In one study two couples married less than five years were paired with a mentor couple. In this particular study couples met one on one with a mentor couple through five lessons dealing with the five love languages, removing barriers of communication, building positive communication, resolving conflict and finally making the most of deployments. After the study the two couples reported they found it easier to communicate and resolve conflict.;The second study involved mentors working with couples through the Study DNA of Relationship by Gary and Michael Smalley. This study was conducted at two different locations Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport, Louisiana and Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, South Carolina. Two key focuses in this study was on identifying core fears and taking personal responsibility for one's own actions. At the end of both these studies participants felt they grew in knowledge as to ways to take personal responsibility and resolve conflict. Engaged couples who participated in the study had an average increase of thirty-five percent strongly agreeing that they more aware as to how to take personal responsibility and resolve conflict.;It is the conclusion of this writer that marriage mentorship programs either one on one with a mentor couple or studying the DNA of Relationships with a mentor couple can help young military couples build a more resilient marriage.