More than 100 Soldiers and family members joined Lt. Col. Raymond L. Ayers, the command chaplain of the 7th Mission Support Command (MSC) and his team of six other Army chaplains, chaplain candidates and religious affairs specialists to attend a Building Strong and Ready Teams (BSRT) event held at the United States Army Garrison Bavaria, Garmisch Edelweiss Lodge and Resort from Jan. 27 to 29, 2023.

"The BRST event is a commander-supported chaplain-lead program to build resiliency for the Soldier and the family as they serve," said Ayers.

The seminar, held in the General Patton Ballroom, focused on ways to improve emotional and family health using videos, texts, personality surveys and open discussion.

“I´d just like to say thanks to the command,” said Maj. Allen Rust of the 209th Digital Liaison Detachment, 7th MSC.

Rust said that that the event was structured for spouses to have open discussions in a comfortable environment while their children were being cared for on-site.

“I think it´s a great opportunity for couples to come out and have some time for themselves,” added Rust, who participated with his wife, Izabela.

Command Sgt. Maj. Anthony Mike of the 510th Regional Support Group, 7th MSC, said that Soldiers are sometimes challenged with balancing their military and family responsibilities.

Mike said that programs like the BSRT are “a welcomed opportunity for families to examine and strengthen their relationships.”

1st Lt. David Montes Jr., a chaplain candidate from the 83rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 7th MSC said that the BSRT program, which is replacing the Strong Bonds program, will be more available to Soldiers soon.

“The structure is changing, so we are going to do more localized events,” he said.

Montes said that the Army wants to increase the tempo of the sessions for Soldiers with stronger emphasis on families by offering the BSRT on a quarterly basis.

“We´re encouraging the spouses to come to the unit more often and get exposure to the command,” said Montes.

“The more often you do these (events) the better,” said Montes who said that the event has a direct and positive impact on the morale of the unit.

"We want to help Soldiers reset, restore, renew and rejuvenate during the BSRT event," said Ayers.

"As Citizen Soldiers we do all those things that are good, right and salutary so that we can win our nation´s wars and do it in a way where we come out better," said Ayers.