Strong Bonds aims to upgrade your marriage Published July 29, 2013 By Master Sgt. Roger Parsons 116th Air Control Wing Public Affairs PINE MOUNTAIN, Ga., July 28, 2013 -- The 116th Air Control Wing kicked off their sixth Strong Bonds conference this weekend as 29 couples gathered at Callaway Gardens for three days of intensive training designed to help members build and maintain a strong family structure. "Anytime you're building relationships at home you're building resilient Airmen," said Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Keith Dobbe, head chaplain for the 116th ACW. "In the military we are always in upgrade training improving skills and competencies and acquiring more knowledge but in our marriages we have no upgrade training," shared Dobbe. "Strong Bonds is like upgrade training for our marriages." The Air National Guard enacted the chaplain led program in 2008 due to the increased number of extended deployments causing added stress on families. "Marriage has been one of our biggest casualties during the last decade that we've been at war," said Col. Stephen Melton, 116th ACW vice commander as he greeted the couples on opening night. "When the marriage dissolves it has many second and third order affects." This year's conference drew a wide range of couples varying in age, rank, and length of marriage. At 31 years of marriage, Chief Master Sgt. Tony Davis and his wife Melony were recognized as having the longest standing marriage in the group. Presenting them with a southern favorite, a bag of grits, Dobbe commended the couple on the grit and determination required for a long and successful marriage. At the other end of the spectrum, Staff Sgt. Steven Savage and his wife of two months, Katie, were honored as the newlyweds of the bunch. "My supervisor suggested Strong Bonds to me and let me know what it was all about," said Savage. "I thought it would be a good opportunity for me and Katie to get our marriage started off on the right foot." "For us it's about being proactive in the marriage instead of reactive," shared Katie. "A lot of couples wait until their marriage is going in the wrong direction before they try to fix it." The couples had an opportunity to see what direction their marriage was headed as they started the weekend completing a marriage snapshot survey. The survey served as a tool to indicate the commitment and confidence level felt by each person about his or her marriage. "At the end of the weekend we have each individual fill out the same survey and we almost always see an increase as a result of the training they receive at the conference," said Dobbe. The JSTARS wing started offering the program in 2009 and since that time 170 couples have taken advantage of the training. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and we've seen marriages saved as a result of the training noted Dobbe. For one couple, attending for the second year in a row; last year's training came at just the right time. "Last year when we attended I really didn't know where our marriage was going and in fact I felt like we were heading towards divorce," shared the wife. "If we had not attended the Strong Bonds retreat, I feel like we would not be at the place we are now. We came back this year to reinforce the lessons we learned and continue growing." The husband and Guardsman reiterated how thankful he was that the Georgia Air National Guard and the 116th ACW provided the opportunity for him and his wife to attend this retreat and work on their marriage. As the weekend drew to a close, Chaplain (Maj.) James Taylor, led what has become a highlight of the weekend for both the chaplain staff and the couples attending the retreat; the renewal of the wedding vows. To cap off this year's conference, a record 16 couples took part in the ceremony. "As a chaplain it makes you feel like you are able to contribute to the well-being of the unit because you have happy Airmen and happy families," said Taylor. "It's a good feeling."