Engaging the Marine Corps in Spiritual Fitness · their spiritual fitness. This paper is a source document written by Chaplain Corps subject matter experts, providing definition and

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Engaging the Marine Corps in Spiritual Fitness


TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................................................... 3

1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................... 4 2. KEY DEFINITIONS ........................................................................................................................................................... 4 3. BACKGROUND: TOTAL FORCE FITNESS ................................................................................................................ 5 4. BACKGROUND: MARINE CORPS LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT .................................................................. 5 5. HUMAN EXISTENCE MODEL ........................................................................................................................................ 6 6. THE COIN ILLUSTRATION ............................................................................................................................................ 7 7. SPIRITUALLY FIT OR UNFIT ........................................................................................................................................ 8 8. THREE ELEMENTS OF SPIRITUAL FITNESS ...................................................................................................... 10 8.A PERSONAL FAITH ....................................................................................................................................................... 10 8.B FOUNDATIONAL VALUES ....................................................................................................................................... 11 8.C MORAL LIVING ............................................................................................................................................................. 13 9. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................................... 15

APPENDIX (1): SPIRITUAL FITNESS GUIDE ............................................................................................................... 16 APPENDIX (2): CHAPLAIN REFERRAL TOOL ............................................................................................................ 17 ENDNOTES ............................................................................................................................................................................... 18


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Commandant has entrusted the Chaplain of the Marine Corps with the formulation and oversight of spiritual fitness as an engagement strategy to be used through every level of the Marine Corps. This will be part of the overall Marine Corps fitness plan. The Chaplain of the Marine Corps will develop the strategy through which chaplains and USMC leaders at all levels foster the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to maintain an optimal state of spiritual well-being. Spiritual fitness is a vital component in the overall strength and resilience required of an individual Marine. As chaplains we make an assertion that the transformation will be started and sustained through the regular exercising of three elements of spiritual fitness: Personal Faith, Foundational Values, and Moral Living. Our responsibility is to communicate these elements and guide Marines and the collective Corps through coaching, counseling, mentoring, and training as they develop their spiritual fitness.

This paper is a source document written by Chaplain Corps subject matter experts,

providing definition and meaning to the spiritual fitness framework that will provide the foundation of the Spiritual Fitness Engagement Strategy. With the strategy, the Chaplain of the Marine Corps will engage senior leaders to describe the concepts of spiritual fitness that chaplains and leaders will employ to develop spiritually fit Marines. Commanding Officers and leaders will be provided with practical tools and resources to assist in developing spiritually fit Marines through coaching, counseling, and mentoring. Under the Command Religious Program, chaplains serving with Marines will be provided specific communication strategies, tools, and training that will further equip them as subject matter experts to coach, counsel, mentor, and train Marines to be spiritually fit. This foundational document will be socialized through an array of senior Marine Corps and Chaplain Corps leadership. Once finalized, the Chaplain Corps will utilize this document to produce a strategic communications plan with associated products to roll out the spiritual fitness engagement strategy to senior leaders, unit level leaders, and chaplains.


1. Introduction

General John A. Lejeune understood that being a spiritually fit Marine is part of being a totally fit Marine.

“There is no substitute for the spiritual in war. Miracles must be wrought if victories are to be won, and to work miracles men’s hearts must be afire with self-sacrificing love for each other, for their units, for their division, and for their country. If each man knows that all the officers and men in his division are animated with the same fiery zeal as he himself feels, unquenchable courage and unconquerable determination crush out fear and death becomes preferable to defeat or dishonor. Fortunate indeed is the leader who commands such men, and it is his most sacred duty to purify his own soul and to cast out from it all unworthy motives, for men are quick to detect pretense or insincerity in the leaders, and worse than useless as a leader is the man in whom they find evidences of hypocrisy or undue timidity, or whose acts do not square with his words….”i

In order to carry out the purpose of the Marine Corps, “…It is indeed true that in war the spiritual is to the material as three or even four to one.”ii Therefore the spiritual dimension of each Marine must be strong in order for us to carry out the purpose of the Marine Corps which is, “We make Marines. We win our nation's battles. We develop quality citizens.”iii

Two questions this paper addresses are: 1. How will the Marine Corps train Marines to achieve a higher standard of spiritual

fitness with equal tenacity as physical, mental, and social fitness? 2. How will we teach our warriors to find an igniter or power to remain mission

focused? This igniter or power compels them to look beyond their current circumstances to a cause, purpose, or divinity greater than themselves and motivates selfless, humble, and resilient action. This will bolster the foundation of a quality Marine on and off duty. 2. Key Definitions

The Marine Corps and the Navy Chaplain Corps (CHC) do not adhere to a specific form and manner of faith, therefore, it is essential at the outset to provide language and definitions to key terms that are used throughout this document.

Faith: a belief in something or someone.

Spirit: The force within a person that is believed to give the body life, energy, and power; the inner quality or nature of a person.iv A vital force seen as animating the bodies of living creatures, sometimes identified with the soul, and seen as surviving death.v A concern for or sensitivity to the things of the spirit or soul, especially as opposed to the material, more specifically, a concern for God and religion and sensitivity to religious experience.vi

Spiritual: of or relating to a person's spirit; of or relating to religion or religious


beliefs; having similar values and ideas; related or joined in spirit.vii Spirituality: the quality or state of being concerned with religion or religious

matters: the quality or state of being spiritual.viii The CHC states “spirituality may be used in a general sense to refer to that which gives meaning and purpose in life. The term may be used more specifically to refer to the practice of a philosophy, religion, or way of living.”ix The CHC identified two primary expressions of spirituality: human and religious. The human expression “refers to the essential core of the individual and includes activities that strengthen self and build healthy relationships.”x While the religious expression “refers to the application of faith and includes activities that connect one to the Divine, God, and the supernatural.”xi Individual spiritual expression is a matter of personal conscience protected by

the Constitution. Spiritual Fitness: An optimal state of the overall spiritual well-being of a person

that is achieved through religious and/or spiritual practices. Within the Marine Corps, spiritual fitness is placed in the framework of Marine Corps Leadership Development (MCLD) under the functional area of Fitness that is facilitated and fostered by chaplains and Religious Ministry Teams (chaplains and Religious Program Specialists) to help strengthen both the human and religious expressions of spirituality. The Navy CHC’s Spiritual Fitness Guide, developed in 2012, aids Marines and family members to self-assess their level of spiritual fitness. Achieving and maintaining an optimal state of spiritual well-being is to become spiritually fit, which is the desired end state for every Marine. If the Marine wants to be the “ultimate warrior” in garrison and forward deployed then the Marine has to be the “ultimate warrior” in spirituality.xii

3. Background: Total Force Fitness

The Department of Defense has developed and defined Total Force Fitness as “A

state in which the individual, family and organization can sustain optimal well-being and performance under all conditions.”xiii Admiral Mullen stated in the Military Medicine special supplemental issue of August 2010: “Total fitness is a state where mind and body are seen as one.” In the Total Fitness construct, DoD further divides mind and body into eight specific fitness domains that can be addressed individually or treated together as they communicate a holistic care approach. Looking more closely at the spiritual domain we find the following DoD definition of spiritual fitness: the ability to adhere to beliefs, principles, and values needed to persevere and prevail in accomplishing missions.”xiv Marine Corps spiritual fitness includes this goal.

4. Background: Marine Corps Leadership Development

Under the structure of Total Force Fitness, MCLD established six functional areas of leadership development; they are Fidelity, Fighter, Fitness, Family, Finance, and Future. The functional area of fitness is further described as, “A holistic approach to physical, mental, spiritual, and social fitness.”xv Currently, these four components of Marine Corps fitness are defined as follows:


1. Physical Fitness. “Fitness of Body reflects a Marine’s ability to physically perform the tasks assigned individually and as a unit, both in garrison and deployed. Physical training is part of and contributes to physical fitness and the ability to perform tasks, but it also includes compliance with body composition standards, managing fatigue, maintenance of good health, and making life style decisions that support health and physical ability to perform work.”xvi 2. Mental Fitness. “Self-confidence, strong coping and decision-making skills contribute to a Marine’s Fitness of Mind. A fit Marine engages in healthy behaviors that help to maintain focus, perseverance, and allow Marines to meet their duties successfully while deployed or in garrison.”xvii 3. Spiritual Fitness. Spiritual fitness “is that which gives meaning and purpose in life. More specifically, it may refer to the practice of a philosophy, religion, or way of living. The Fitness of Spirit endstate is for Marines and their families to live out their spirituality in a way that enables them to meet their duties successfully while deployed and in garrison.”xviii 4. Social Fitness. Social fitness “describes how well Marines and their families engage in socially healthy behaviors that enable them to successfully interact with peers, families, and their community, and better equipping them to meet their duties while deployed or in garrison.”xix

The relationship between the four components of fitness is represented by a four stranded chord. Each strand must be addressed and strengthened equally. In order for a Marine to achieve optimal well-being and performance under all conditions, he or she will be required to seek a holistic approach to sustain each component with an equal level of enthusiasm. The result will be Marines executing the toughest challenges and recuperating in a shorter time.

The Chaplain Corps is responsible for formulating and

overseeing the spiritual component, and developing a leadership engagement strategy with tools for leaders and chaplains to use in coaching, counseling, mentoring, and training Marines to develop their spiritual fitness. 5. Human Existence Model

In a paper titled, “Finding our Flip Side,” Thomas J. Statler, LCDR, CHC, USN,

addressed spiritual fitness. He argues that an approach to spiritual fitness is to look at life through tangible and intangible dimensions. These two dimensions are the sum total of our existence.

Figure 1


Our Tangible Side

The tangible side of human existence includes two aspects:

1. The Physical Body 2. The Physical Environment

Very simply, it is everything that can be experienced through our senses. Most of what we do on a daily basis is a direct interaction between these two aspects. In order to take care of ourselves physically we must engage in physical fitness, exercise, proper nutrition, and proper health care to ensure we are prepared to operate fully in the environment we are assigned.

Our Intangible Side The intangible side of human existence

consists of two aspects of living that cannot be seen or touched; they are our rational center of the mind and emotional center of the heart. These non-tangibles aspects are what differentiate humanity from the rest of the animal kingdom. They make up our intangible inner being.

Intangible elements of mind and heart include such things as our thinking, emotions,

personality, behaviors, social skills, relationships, and our spiritual connections. What we believe and value, how we perceive the world around us, and our choice to practice faith and religion all take place in our inner being. The Marine Corps understands this to be true and seeks to instill specific character traits in the minds and hearts of all Marines. Honor, courage, commitment, self-sacrifice, humility, and discipline are a sampling of virtues that stem from an internal decision to adopt values and beliefs through obedient actions. These fall within the realm of spiritual fitness. 6. The Coin Illustration

Challenge coins have a tradition for denoting unit identity and camaraderie through forged symbols and mottos. Additionally, spiritual and religious emblems have been carried into combat as a reminder of the divine bringing peace to the soul amidst chaos. Therefore, the use of the coin is a powerful and simple tool to engage Marines on the topic of spiritual fitness.

The tangible and the intangible, the physical and the spiritual, represent the two

sides of the coin of our human existence. The two sides are inseparably linked and significantly influence the other. Through this picture, the Marine is reminded to value both

1. Body

2. Environment

Two Tangible Aspects

1. Mind

2. Heart

Two Intangible Aspects

Figure 3

Figure 2


physical and spiritual fitness. xx Using the coin metaphor to communicate the spiritual and physical dimensions of humanity has the potential to be misunderstood as dualism, that our physicality and spirituality are separate and distinct. On the contrary, the coin illustration communicates each as two interconnected parts of the whole person. To illustrate this concept, picture a rapidly spinning coin where both sides are seen instantaneously and in perfect balance. This represents the holistic nature of the spiritual and physical. 7. Spiritually Fit or Unfit? When a person chooses to ignore their physical fitness, the consequences manifest themselves through an inability to meet standards, maintain good health, and properly adapt to the environment. In similar fashion choosing to ignore spiritual fitness by not addressing personal faith, foundational values, and moral living will lead to negative consequences. If a Marine does not take time to perfect skills on the rifle range, they will lose the self-confidence and precision they desire. If a Marine does not spend time effectively communicating with the people in their inner circle, relationships will fall apart. Likewise, if a Marine does not engage in spiritual practices, they will find themselves depleted when they need to bounce back from hardship. In a scientific research study, Joseph M. Currier found that people who engage in spiritual practices like worship, prayer, meditation, Sabbath or other sacraments, are more inclined to respond better to PTSD or even thwart the symptoms all together.xxi Although military chaplains are trained to recognize the difference between a person who is spiritually fit or unfit, most Marines typically are not. Thus, in 2011, the Navy Chief of Chaplains office developed an accessible and easily understandable color-coded matrix where Marines and Sailors can pinpoint their present level of spiritual fitness and know when to seek help. (See Appendix 1-2) Reading from top to bottom, one sees seven categories of indicators for spiritual fitness. Below is a brief description of each category.

Is Engaged in Life’s Purpose and Meaning Socrates once said, "The unexamined life is not worth living."xxii Looking inward to examine private and public life, and seeking to live consciously in accountability with a community will result in the discovery of a deeper purpose and meaning for life. Spiritually fit people seek to know and live out what they believe is their life purpose. Being involved

Figure 4


in a particular religion or participation in a faith group will help define meaning and purpose according to their personal faith. When a person has no sense of purpose, or has lost their purpose due to a traumatic or tragic life event, they can feel spiritually depleted or drained.

Has Hope for Life and the Future

If a Marine is spiritually fit, they can face threats to their being at home or during a combat deployment by looking beyond their circumstances and processing through the pain, despair, anxiety, and depression. They have a profound belief that what they are doing in the present will make a difference in the future no matter what happens to them. They have a great hope about life that transcends their physical reality.xxiii However, when a person loses all sense of hope for the future and their present circumstances become overwhelming, there may seem to be no reason to continue. They become spiritually depleted and may be at risk of suicide.

Makes Sound Moral Decisions A spiritually fit Marine is able to be honest with themselves to look into the past at prior decisions and behaviors and evaluate them against their guiding principles for moral and ethical decision-making. If they discover actions and decisions that are below personal, community, or institutional standards, then they determine what course corrections need to be made. After realizing what corrective actions are needed, they will then muster the courage to implement them. Additionally, they actively look to the future to visualize who they want to be as a person of character in the context of the community in which they work and live. This is the process of moral living. Unfortunately, some people choose not to engage this process, allowing immoral choices to deplete themselves spiritually.

Engaged in Meaningful Relationships Being able to establish strong interpersonal relationships and maintain them for extended periods of time is another indicator of spiritual health. The ability to work out one’s differences through peaceful conflict resolutions, and be productive in society and culture is the mark of a person who cares about others and is committed to serving others before themselves. When meaningful relationships are avoided or non-existent due to difficult circumstances, there is a risk of drifting to the right of the chart. People need healthy relationships to keep themselves accountable, cared for, and provide a community in which to grow and live that gives a sense of identity and feeling of value. The more a person becomes detached from others, the more they become at risk for destructive behavior.

Able to Forgive Self and Others When a person has been wronged by another, they can either choose to forgive or harbor bitterness and resentment. Being able to forgive is very liberating and leads to


healing. The same is true when a person knows they wronged another and choose to ask forgiveness from whom they have offended and forgive themselves. People with this capacity have an ability to recover from past mistakes. When a person is unable or unwilling to forgive the wrongdoer, or they are unable to receive forgiveness for wrongs they have committed, life becomes much less enjoyable because the pain of the past never truly leaves and continues to build up, get worse, and cause problems in the person’s life that show they are spiritually unfit.

Engaged in Core Values and Beliefs

A key element of being spiritually fit is the ability to articulate formally what it is a person values. In order to do this one must understand the source of their values. Having the courage to ask for accountability from others and living them out within community will subsequently strengthen themselves and others. This is why the Marine Corps has cores values that permeate all they do within the institutional framework. As a Marine remains in the green on the above seven categories, they will experience a greater level of resilience. Resilience is “the ability to withstand, recover, and/or grow in the face of stressors and changing demands.”xxiv An Air Force sponsored 2013 RAND study found correlating evidence that a person who has a spiritual world view, personal religious or spiritual practices and rituals, support from a spiritual community, and/or spiritual coping skills, will have positive resilience outcomes.xxv The task, then, of leadership is to communicate the proven benefits to spiritual practices and raise the awareness that exercising and maintaining spiritual fitness is just as important as maintaining physical fitness. 8. Three Elements of Spiritual Fitness

An integral part of spiritual fitness is the constant engagement of Marine Corps

leadership. In partnership with their chaplains, leaders at all levels need to coach, counsel, and mentor their Marines on how to exercise three key elements of spiritual fitness: personal faith, foundational values, and moral living. It will require leaders to possess and model these elements for their subordinates.

A. Personal Faith

Marine Corps life is challenging, and all Marines – young or old, junior or senior -

encounter various threats to their being throughout their careers. Some examples of these threats include, but are not limited to, guilt, condemnation, emptiness, meaninglessness, or anxieties about their fate or potential death. All of these threats can occur in situations and circumstances taking place in Marines’ personal and professional lives. Regardless of what is fueling the threats, a critical question the Corps needs to ask itself is “How can Marines overcome these threats to their being?” The answer, the CHC postulates, is a strong and steadfast faith. Faith gives Marines the hope and courage to confront these threats in ways that keep their honor clean and upholds the sacred values of the Corps.


Faith is characterized as a belief in something or someone. While Western thought has historically placed faith or religion within the constructs of particular ecclesiastical traditions, the pluralistic context of the Marine Corps and the diversity of beliefs of its warfighters requires a wider aperture. A helpful way of understanding the diversity of beliefs in the Marine Corps is through the use of the religious expression spectrum. See figure 5 below.

At the complete right end of the spectrum are those who have no defined sense of

spirituality, may profess no deity, but believe strongly and are guided by a philosophy, tradition, the eternal “fidelity” of the Marine Corps community, or meaningful relationships. These Marines have a “faith” in something other than themselves. On the opposite end of the spectrum are those who believe in a deity and they consistently engage in an established religious practice. This spectrum is a tool affording the Marine the opportunity to locate and define their own forms of religious expression. As each Marine identifies where they reside on the spectrum, leaders and chaplains can engage effectively Marines in faith-based, religiously oriented conversations. Specifically, chaplains will be able to discover if or how a Marine desires to grow in their personal faith and what resources are needed in order to achieve this growth.

Figure 5

The Navy Chaplain Corps champions the value of religious belief and practice. Also, the Corps is committed to help Marines find the resources they need to practice their faith. As a Marine grows more confident in their personal faith, a Marine gains a greater understanding of self and their purpose in life. Therefore, leaders must make a concerted effort to strengthen the faith and beliefs of their warfighters.

B. Foundational Values

Many have reflected on what distinguishes a warrior from a killer, as both are or may be involved in the taking of human life. The warrior lives by an honor code that strictly regulates their use of violence. It is this code that both constrains and distinguishes a warrior from a killer. Though a warrior may kill, it is never for its own sake, and only


under certain conditions. A code represents and applies values. What distinguishes a warrior from a simple killer is the foundational values they have chosen to live by.

The word “values” derives from the Latin valere, to be strong, to be well. Such

words as “valor” and “valiant” have the same root. So, valiant actions, commonly demanded on the field of combat and remembered with pride within Marine Corps lore, derive from or are built upon values, rightly understood. Thus, values are essential to spiritual fitness because they provide the firm foundation from which all right actions, choices and convictions derive come.

The values Marines choose to live by will directly impact the choices they make, the

actions they take, and the character they display on and off duty. Therefore, a key element of Marine Corps spiritual fitness is every Marine to knowing what their values are and from where they are derived.

Know Your Values

Virtuous actions flow from good values, and in turn, reinforce them. A person who

has correctly-formed values and lives them out maintains what many, beginning with Clausewitz, call an internal “Center of Gravity.”xxvi This concept is discussed below. To be spiritually fit, every Marine must know what their values are. Leaders and chaplains will need to do more than just teach values to Marines, they will need to assist them in recognizing the values that currently shape their decisions. By having Marines look at how they spend their time, money, resources, and the choices they have made, they will recognize their underlying values.

The moment a recruit stands on the yellow footprints at MCRD San Diego or Parris

Island, they understand that they arrive with their own set of values. Some will be enhanced and strengthened by Marine Corps training, others will have contradictory values that will need to be exchanged. As General Krulak said, “We need to recognize that incoming recruits are from a different society…social pressures…require transformation of our Marines at entry-level and throughout their service to the nation. I am talking about core values, instilling the ethos of the Corps – honor, courage, commitment. The Marine Corps Values Program is based on training designed to strengthen a recruits’ character and replace the self-centered civilian ethos with devotion to unit and mission that is vital to success in combat.”xxvii The job of the Marine Corps is to instill within its warriors these values. Once instilled during boot camp and The Basic School, it is expected that every Marine will live according to these values. Leaders and chaplains should assist Marines in sustaining the transformation of choosing to live by the right values, and remove the ones that are causing them to be unfit spiritually.

Know the Source of Your Values

In the pursuit of spiritual fitness, the Marine must know what their values are and

understand from where their values originate. Life experiences commonly cause a person to choose certain values, good or bad, depending on the joy or pain derived from a


particular event. Other sources that serve as agents impacting personal values include parental figures and home life, culture and society, faith and beliefs, or positive and negative life experiences.

Parents and home life provide significant impact upon a person’s values both

positive and negative. Many values are adopted from our parents without much thought because they are “caught” more than they are “taught.” Most grow up observing their parents’ make decisions. This includes how they spend money, where they invest their time, and how they relate to each other. All the while, children are absorbing their parent’s values.

Culture and society can also significantly impact a person’s values. TV, movies,

music, video games, and the internet deliver a constant stream of values. As celebrities proclaim what they value in lyrics or on screen, the listening individual may be swayed to adopt those same values.

Faith, beliefs, and religion also play a large role in determining one’s values. As an

individual pursues a faith tradition, they usually adopt the values taught within that religion in order to show growth in that manner and form of faith. Sacred scripture, published books, and other highly revered teachings are read regularly in order to learn the values and adopt them into daily living.

Lastly, a person’s values are learned from positive or negative experiences. People

who survived the Great Depression learned how to survive on very little, making every penny count, never wasting food, and valuing hard work. Likewise, people who experience a trip to the Grand Canyon may gain a greater appreciation for the outdoors and find great value in spending more time in nature.

Leaders must take time to assist Marines in discovering the source of their values

and how these values are impacting their daily decisions. The Marine may discover a person or event has caused them to adopt values that result in poor choices with undesired consequences. Taking the time to walk Marines through the process of recognizing and removing destructive values and replacing them with new life enhancing values will give them a gift that will set them up for success during and beyond the Marine Corps.

C. Moral Living

The third element of spiritual fitness is moral living, where the critical question to ask is, “how can we calibrate and reinforce a Marine’s moral and ethical decision-making process?” For example, when a Marine has made the choice to act immorally or unethically, in most instances they did not plan to act in such a manner. Often, they are unsure how their decision-making led them so far off course in the journey of right living. When questioned after an incident, responses include, “I did not know this would happen,” or “that was the first time I have ever…” or “I just was not thinking.” Irrational thinking flooded by emotions, leads to poor decisions. As leaders there is a tool, a method, to assist Marines in recalibrating their moral and ethical decision-making processes. This method


consists of asking three questions dealing with moral reflection, moral resolution, and moral renewal.xxviii

Step 1: Moral Reflection on the Past – How shall I live?

The first step in this process is identifying what each Marine relies on (their “center of gravity”) to keep them grounded in moral and ethical living. This “center of gravity” is a construct with influences from their family upbringing, personal experiences, faith practices, religious teachings, inner conscience, and universally accepted right or wrong behaviors, all contributing to the Marine’s view of right and wrong. During this process they are required to look to the past and ask, “How have I strayed off course?” Another way of asking this question is, “Am I living according to what I know to be right and true based on my beliefs and values?” Taking a critical look at one’s life history and asking these questions may cause the Marine discomfort. Leaders and chaplains can help them process through this discomfort and move toward moral resolution.

This introspection process may reveal that the Marine allowed their moral decision-

making to be influenced by internal or external sources that have corrupted their decision-making process. Often, Marines make choices they think are morally acceptable at the time, only to find out later they violated the UCMJ. Their moral decision-making tools need to be replaced in order to align their values with the ethos of the Marine Corps. Chaplains and other professionals can aid in this process.

Step 2: Moral Resolution of the Present – What shall I do? While step one involves reflecting on the past and asking “how shall I live,” step two focuses on the present and asks “what should I do?” Step one brings awareness of where the Marine is on the journey of life. Step two moves from knowing what they have been doing, to making decisions on what they need to do, and then taking action. A time when moral reflection and moral resolution can appear to oppose one another can create a crisis of belief for the Marine. The individual will then have to decide, “Am I going to act on what I have discovered? Am I willing to face the consequences of what may happen if I do? Or will I remain silent and continue to act immorally or unethically?” For example, a Marine’s marriage is having problems. During this stage of the troubled relationship he has an affair. He feels guilty and comes to the chaplain for advice. After the chaplain walks him through the first step of moral reflection, the Marine realizes he is morally wrong and needs to make corrective action. He understands the right action is to stop the affair completely, confess to his wife, and ask forgiveness from both parties. These actions may cause tremendous stress on everyone involved, and the consequences could result in losing both relationships. Moral reflection and resolution are now in opposition.

Enacting change takes great courage when an individual finds themself in need of

correction in moral living. There are several key attitudes that will facilitate this process in a healthy manner: acknowledgment of wrong doing, showing genuine remorse, forgiving


oneself, receiving forgiveness from others (and God if applicable), forgiving others who have wronged you, and being able to move forward and bounce back from mistakes made. These are keys to success and to answer the question, “What shall I do?”

Step 3: Moral Renewal for the Future – Who should I be? The final step is moral renewal with a focus on the future. Since the Marine has already made a choice to make corrections regardless of the consequences, now they ask, “Who should I be?" The question targets character development; the Marine needs to decide what kind of person they will be when no one is watching. This means living daily with the intent to keep making personal corrections in order to remain on the moral and ethical high road. It is flipping the coin from the physical side to address the spiritual side continually! The three-step process described above is perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of becoming and staying spiritually fit. This requires a hard look at one’s faith and one’s values. It is also the most difficult element to for Marines to achieve alone; they will need both Marine leaders and Navy chaplains. Maintaining Like the Marine Corps fitness model, the moral living process requires constant exercising with vigor and intensity, since it is a perishable skill. Optimal results are maximized when unit leadership, in partnership with their chaplains, are intentional about enhancing and maintaining their Marines’ spirtual fitness. 9. Conclusion In summary, this paper answers two key questions. First, how will the Marine Corps train Marines to achieve a higher standard of spiritual fitness with equal intensity as physical, mental, and social fitness? Simply put, Marine Corps leaders and chaplains will engage Marines at every level to instill a fundamental understanding that human beings are both spiritual and physical beings. Optimal fitness, then requires equal amount of effort in the physical and spiritual realm. The coin metaphor communicates this principle clearly. Second, how will Marines be taught to find an igniter or power that compels them to look beyond their current circumstances to a timeless cause, purpose, or divinity greater than themselves that compels them to carry out selfless action, walk in humility, suffer long through hardship, and go the extra mile both on and off duty? Marine Corps leaders and chaplains will engage with Marines to assist them in knowing where they stand on personal faith, what their foundational values are, and how to engage in moral living. By flipping the coin and attending to spiritual fitness with the same devotion and rigor given to the tangible, physical side, they have the potential to become and remain whole and honorable warriors, eventually returning to society as better citizens.


Spiritual Fitness Self-Assessment Guide

Appendix (1)


Chaplain Referral Tool

Appendix (2)


i J. A. Lejeune, The Reminiscences of a Marine. Philadelphia: Dorrance , 1930, 40.

ii Ibid, 440.

iii Accessed on June 9, 2016, http://www.marines.com/history-heritage/our-purpose.

iv Accessed on June 23, 2016. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spirit.

v Ibid.

vi Ibid.

vii Accessed on June 23, 2016. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spiritual.

viii Accessed on June 23, 2016. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spirituality.

ix Navy CHC Spiritual Fitness Guide, May 2012.

x Ibid.

xi Ibid.

xii Michelle J. Pearce, and Harold G. Koenig. “Spiritual Struggles and Religious Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A

Randomized Clinical Trial in Those with Depression and Chronic Medical Illness.” Journal of Psychology &

Theology 44, no 1 (Spring 2016): 3-15. xiii

MAJ Tanja C. Roy; COL Barbara A. Springer; MAJ Vancil McNulty; LTC Nikki L. Butler; “Physical Fitness”

Military Medicine Supplement 175, no. 8 (August 2010): : 14. xiv

CJCSI3405.0.1 xv

Marine Corps University Website. Accessed June 7, 2016:

https://www.mcu.usmc.mil/sites/leadership/SitePages/fitness.aspx. xvi

Marine Corps Fitness Improvement Tool (MCFIT) 3. xvii

Ibid, 3. xviii

Ibid, 4. xix

Ibid. xx

Ibid. xxi

Joseph M. Currier, , Jason M. Holland, and Kent D. Drescher. “Spirituality Factors in the Prediction of Outcomes

of PTSD Treatment for U. S. Military Veterans.” Journal of Traumatic Stress 28, no. 1 (February 2015): 57-64. xxii

Plato, Apology. Translated by Benjamin Jowett. http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/apology.html. xxiii

Darrell J. Wesley, Always Faithful: Transcendence as Spiritual Formation in the United States Marine Corps

(2016), 13. xxiv

The Air Force adopted this definition, which was developed by the Defense Centers of Excellence for

Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE, 2011). xxv

D. Yeung, M. Martin, “Spiritual Fitness and Resilience, A Review of Relevant Constructs, Measures, and Links

to Well-being.” RAND Project Air Force on Resiliency. RAND Corporation, 2013. xxvi

Statler, Thomas J. “Finding Our Flip Side: Mapping the Development of Spiritual Fitness in the United States

Marine Corps.” (2016), 13. xxvii

C.f. Lance & Fitzell, “The Marine Corps Values Program”, Marine Corps Gazette, Dec. 1996, 31. xxviii

Peter L. Berger and Brigitte Berger, Sociology: A Biographical Approach, 2d Ed (New York: Basic, 1975), 52.

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Engaging the Marine Corps in Spiritual Fitness · their spiritual fitness. This paper is a source document written by Chaplain Corps subject matter experts, providing definition and