United Through Reading Program -- A Resounding Success
—by Chaplain (Cpt) Colt Randles, USA, Fort Jackson, SC
The United Through Reading Program was instituted here at Ft. Jackson, SC, in my unit—1-13th Infantry Battalion (Basic Training) this past Spring. The Commanding Officer and I decided together to pursue a resource to help connect our new recruits with their loved ones back home. In the operational Army I always found the greatest area of counseling to be in the area of family relationships. Our soldiers (many parents) are often separated from their families for the first time.
As a way to build a positive connection while deployed (several years ago), I used this resource for my (then) 17-month old daughter several years ago. This program is not complicated; it allows a soldier to read a children‘s book in front of a DVD camcorder and afterwards the disk (and book sometimes) are mailed home to the child after the soldier has deployed. A mommy or daddy video comes specially addressed to the child and softens the blow of separation with an ever-present reminder at bedtime or otherwise of the sight, voice, and love of mom or dad.
I contacted the United Through Reading program to ask if they would be interested in making this resource available to Basic Training soldiers. This was new ground for the organization who had only worked with deployed units, mostly through the many USO offices overseas. It didn‘t take long for them to see the potential impact on families who were experiencing the military life for the first time, separated for months with as few as two brief phone calls. It was a win-win for all sides. Introducing this program to new recruits would help them regain perspective, show their anxious families at home that the Army recognized their sacrifices as well, and inform future deploying soldiers that such resources exist.
We began offering the program to soldiers in May 2011. After briefing the program to each company during in-processing week, soldiers sign-up through their Drill Sergeants, Chaplain Assistant or the Chaplain after Sunday Worship service or on the range. Typically we will call 6-10 people each week to come to the Unit Ministry Team (UMT) Office after Sunday Worship. The individual will do a recording which lasts between 15-30 minutes. The soldier picks a few books from the lending shelves. He enters a private room and is free to open up and be himself/herself with their loved ones. We even have a Cat in the Hat — a hat (provided by UTR) for one to ‘really get into character.‘ We ask $2 for shipping and typically mail them off within 24-48 hours. Over the course of a 10-week cycle we process 50-70 people through the program with positive results reflected back through our Battalion Facebook site and through pictures of the end result, shared by the soldiers and their families.
The program has been tested on three consecutive cycles of Basic Trainees and now I feel confident to proclaim it a success. A Battalion Chaplain in this environment must be careful with his most valuable and fleeting resource—time. Of the many projects and initiatives to undertake I have chosen to invest in this one because it meant so much to me when I was deployed. To date, 1-13th Infantry Battalion is the only Basic Training unit in the Army to offer the program.
Some would nay say pointing to a softening of standards from when they came through, but honestly, does 25 minutes of a 10 week process make a soft soldier? I don‘t think so. Neither did the local media when they found out what we were doing. The Associated Press of Columbia, the CBS affiliate (WLTX, channel 19), The State newspaper and Ft. Jackson‘s The Leader came to the unit as we shared our success story.
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