In 1971, the U.S. Navy was arguably going through one of its worst periods in history. This was the beginning of the ‘‘Hollow Fleet,” a time when men and women who had patriotically joined during the initial phases of the Vietnam War were getting out and there were not enough Sailors in the emerging all-volunteer force to man all of the Navy’s ships still vitally needed in the on-going Southeast Asian conflict.
But, worse, it was also a time of a rapidly expanding drug culture plaguing the armed forces of the U.S. armed services.
To counter the influence of illegal drugs the Navy’s Spiritual Fitness Center established the ‘‘Chaplains Response to the Emerging Drug Order,” better known today as ‘‘CREDO.”
As the Navy adopted a zero tolerance policy with respect to drug use, according to its published history (Chief of Chaplains letter dated July 20, 1977) CREDO evolved ‘‘to provide appropriate forms of ministry through which military personnel and their family members are enabled to develop personal and spiritual resources and grow toward increased functional ability, religious maturity and acceptance of responsibility.”
With its new identity, CREDO became ‘‘Chaplains Religious Enrichment Development Operation” in San Diego. In February 2005, CREDO was renamed the ‘‘Spiritual Fitness Center.”
Today Spiritual Fitness Centers exist in 10 regional⁄worldwide locations. One of those locations is the Naval District Washington.
‘‘Its mission today is to show and share spirituality to Marine Corps and Navy families by helping to restore family relationships and encouraging people to discover hope,” said Navy Chaplain (Lt.) Richard Malmstrom of the Naval Support Activity South Potomac.
CREDO does a lot of its work through personal retreats and several are planned for the next months at Naval District of Washington. Included are:
July 11-13 and 21—Marriage Enrichment Retreat; 11-13—Warrior Transition Retreat; 25-27—IA Family Enrichment Retreat
August 1-3—Personal Growth Retreat; 8-10—Marriage Enrichment Retreat; and 22-24—Women’s Retreat.
‘‘CREDO retreats are a focus on self-reflection in a non-denominational spiritual environment,” Malmstrom said. ‘‘They exist to strengthen; to recharge batteries after challenging transitional periods.”
One of the most challenging transitional periods, according to Malmstrom, occurs after Individual Augmentation assignments in the global war on terror. IA members often return to families, where the spouse has been in charge of singularly making family decisions and now the two members must function as a team again. It is also a time when more challenging post traumatic shock syndrome and personal adjustment occur.
‘‘Every case is different but it is a troubling time and sometimes the individual and family feels like they are trying to herd casts. There are usually expectations of everything being the same made about coming back but things are different... retreats can help families concentrate on developing the common skills they once shared together,” Malmstrom said.
All CREDO retreats are free and open to all active-duty and reserve military personnel and their family members. Retreats are also available to military retirees and DOD civilians on a standby basis. Retreats are held in the Tidewater, Va., area. Childcare arrangements are the responsibility of the attendees and no children are allowed on any retreat.
For more information about or to register for a retreat, interested persons are asked to call 757-444-7654⁄1091, or call the Naval District Washington Chaplain's Office at 202-685-0478.
E-Mail This Article
Print This Story