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Show j.--r- - ! i The Sampler, June 5, 1 986 Hessian discusses chapla ins roe m val ubs Well spend a lot of time trying to help people see the spiritual dimensions of those values they have or are trying to acquire. We're hoping that, in every unit, chaplains and commanders, will work out schedules so that soldiers have a chance to .talk by Ma. Ken Bates ArNews The following cuticle comprises excerpts from an interview with Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Patrick . Hessian, Army Chief of Chaplains, during a re-cent visit to Fort Lewis, Wash. The purpose of his visit, as he put it, was "to take the spiritual temperature of the military community check with commanders and chaplains to get their thoughts and perspectives on the issues, and with the troops to see if their needs are being met." Bates: This is the year of values. What were the Army chief of staffs instructions to you, as Army chief of chaplains, in reference to the values theme? Hessian: The chief of staff told all members of the Army staff, "When you go out into the field, deal with values from your particular perspective." Mine happens to be from the spiritual dimension of values. Consequently, in my travels I . attempt to stress the importance of looking at the spiritual belief structure that underlies any value we talk about It's important to understand that we don't start with values; we start with beliefs, and we build ourselves on top of that. It begins with primary be-- . liefs, those you learned at your mother's knee. Then you continue beliefs just in the process of living. It's on this belief structure that your values rest. Once values are entrenched in your being, your attitudes and motivations in life grow from them, and from those attitudes and motivations come behaviors and behavioral changes. So, there's a clear path here of changes that start with belief structures, which are very frequently involved with spiritual things. If you're going to deal with values, it's important to understand the why of them what do you believe that's causing you to do this or that? Bates: The new program called moral leadership training will that dovetail into values?. Hessian: Right. A while ago at the Pentagon, there was a meeting on the strategy of the entire values system. The commanders are responsible for coming up with initiatives, as are the chaplains, moral leadership training series is basically our initiative. This series is an outgrowth of the Army's "values" theme and includes various topics that concern the chief of staff. The series consists of resource information on selected topics and is pro- vided to unit chaplains and commanders so they can make presentations or hold discussions on them. Currently, four topics are being distributed to the field. They are "suicide," "safety," "loyalty" and "responsibility." These, along with all future topics from DA, will apper in the DA Pam 165 - . W :. about these topics. dates: I've seen some of these topics. Although "the program's called moral leadership training, it seems to be not only about morality but also about how to deal with life. Hessian: We don't get into heavy, "thou shalt not" moralizing, because we know it's counterpro-- . ductive. It's not a good teaching method. We try to say to people, "Let's analyze the behavior we see here. How do you see this, good or bad? What would be better? We try to guide people into alternatives that are very positive. ' One of the topics we'll address is suicide. There's a problem in the Army about this. People don't like to talk about suicide and its prevention about how, for example, Specialist Jones can help his buddy who's very depressed, and how Jones can catch the signs that 'indicate his friend might be leaning toward suicide. We want to look at what's happening right, at the issues that need most now in the Army we can write up a teaching so that attention and those series on get them out to the field. We want to produce whatever is relevant to our people today. Bates: As a commander, why would I need moral leadership training in my unit? Hessian: If you have people with good behaviors now, you want to do something to shore that up and maintain it. For people who don't have good behaviors, you want to motivate them . . - : - to change. ance. Well, of course, that's simply not true. Everyneeds check and balance on their behaviors a body and their values now and then. Bates: How do you think this training program will be accepted by the soldier? - . Moral leadership courses encourage people to stop and think. "Why do I behave the way I do? Is there a better way for me to behave? Is there something I can do to change my behaviors?" To change, you've got to lo something about your values, and, you have to believe that it's, a good thing to do. Bates: What input will commanders have as to what's taught in a unit? Will he be able to give his perspective on where his unit is at, in terms of values, to the individual who's teaching? Hessian: Absolutely. As a matter of fact, it's part of our strategy that the local chaplain take the plan of instruction well give him to the local commander and say, "I'm here as a staff officer to help you with your responsibilities to teach val--. ues. Here are some topics I'm prepared to .teach, but if you have others, I'll work something out for them as well." for each The program has to be tailor-mad- e o ' unit and its specific needs. The Department of the Army is. not imposing anything on anybody. Bates: Do you see this information going down to the lowest level of command, or is it only for a certain group? Hessian: Ideally, if you were, say, a battalion commander; and you decide that in your command you wanted moral leadership training, then you would be the first person in the room. You'd have your staff there, your company commanders, first sergeants --- the entire organization' so that everyone could say, "How can we,. as a cohesive unit, work with one another better and improve the climate on our command?" That would be my ideal world. In the old days in the Army, there was a thing called character guidance. The requirement was a lecture once a month given by the chaplain for all staff sergeants and below. What that essentially said was, the sergeants . first class and above, that is, the colonel, the general or whoever, were all so great and so bright and so perfect that they didn't need moral guid- ; Hessian: From the old days, this type of training was either a roaring success or an absolute wipe out, depending on the attitudinal behavior of the chaplain who's instructing. . If you have something to say to. the soldiers that will better their lives, they'll sense it. The troops are never wrong when it comes to recognizing who is trying to help them and who is hot. If they get the feeling that you really care and want to do something good for them, you will make contacts that will come back to you with dividends. You might be walking down the company street a week after one of the training sessions and some soldier might stop you to say that he or she has a problem and wants to talk to you some time. The soldier might never have said that had you not been together earlier in an environment where the soldier saw you as a friendly force. I see all kinds of things coming out of this, where well help people as a result of doing these classes.. Everybody needs a little look, from time to time, at how they're doing things. They need a situation where they don't have to be defensive, where nobody is zeroing in on them. Where they have a chance to absorb and think things out without any threats. That's the environment I'd like to see. And if this program is well done by the commands and the chaplains, and if it's reallv PONTIAC o "sold" properly, it will have a great deal of good effect. line on the chap, Bates: What's the bottom lains' role in moral leadership training? Hessian: The chaplain is perceived by the entire organization as the individual whose job it is to talk up on things that have a moral dimension. That's part of his role. The chaplain is also a direct link to the commander, and the commander's advisor. When he SOG8 a problem that he believes has some moral dimension to' it, it is his responsibility as a staff officer to say to that commander, "We've got a problem down in company B and you need to take a better look at what's going on." From another viewpoint, the chaplain is also that unique person on the staff who's not perceived to be in the chain of command. Because of this, he can represent the commander to the troops in a special sort of way. Maybe, sometimes, in a more credible way. So, I guess I've described three rules. The chaplain is the moral agent, or perceived to be, for that unit He's a staff officer who can advise the commander. And he's that person who has a unique communication authority to people at every level of the system. Three distinct roles, very uni- que, all of them. SaSO BUICK Af - ;l if?- WW:a-- ; 44 i east ist north tooele . .. .: J |
