MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz. -- According to www.defenselink.com marriage in the Marine Corps is on a steady rise. Many senior enlisted Marines and officers encourage their junior enlisted Marines to attend marriage counseling either prior to or immediately following their marriage.
To better prepare for this big step in life chaplains throughout the Marine Corps offer a class called the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program.
The class is held four times a year and shows newlyweds, and couples thinking about getting married how their lives are about to change, said Cmdr. William G. Learn Waun, station command chaplain.
“During our class, we have different people throughout the station explain to the couples-to-be the impact this decision will have on their lives,” said Waun, a native of Detroit.
A major segment of the course offers financial advice from Margy Pracchia, Marine and Family Services command financial counselor, on how to manage family finances.
“Most people never want to talk finances, it’s considered a ‘dirty word,’” said Pracchia. “So I try to make learning finances fun and interactive. Most individuals will learn more from practicing this rather than sitting through a long lecture full of numbers on a hot day. There is a learning game we play that uses ‘Devil Dog Dollars’ and each couple has to go to six stations. At these stations, they choose how to spend their money. After completion of the game, we see how much money they have left. Then we talk about credit, car accidents, babies, tickets and other surprises or factors that can impact their budget. Everyone who participates enjoys themselves. I also show them how to control food expenses and how to protect their credit. I explain to them they have to buy what they need, not what they want.”
The PREP class also shows the couples how to resolve conflict with the help of Cynthia J. Waun, a psychologist and Cmdr. Waun’s wife.
The class also gives lessons on new parent support, legal issues and taxes.
The PREP class uses the different experiences of the speakers to show the couples that no two marriages are the same, said. Cmdr. Waun.
“Every couple deals with certain situations differently,” said Waun. “Some couples yell when they are angry, some don’t talk at all, and still others run away and try to go someplace else where there is no argument.”
“My husband and I just expected the basics,” said Lance Cpl. Rwanda Z. Carlson, flight equipment section, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 13 and native of Baldwin Park, Calif. “I thought we would learn some communication skills and receive some financial advice.”
Lance Cpl. Cameron D. Williams, aviation mechanic for Marine Attack Squadron 513 and native of Pine Bluff, Ark., said his thoughts echoed those of Carlson.
“I thought the class would teach me better communication skills and give me more information about the married life,” he said.
“Through this class, I learned a lot about myself and my husband,” said Carlson. “I learned that we both approach and deal with situations differently. These are things that, if misinterpreted, could roll downhill and cause a lot of damage to our relationship.
“I recommend that anyone who is thinking about getting married take this class,” she said. “The class helped bring a lot of things to light. There wasn’t any dramatic or major finds, just little things that could have hurt our relationship.”
“The class, as a whole, is used to show Marines and their significant other the hard work and patience it takes to succeed in marriage,” said Waun. “We want the newlyweds to understand the magnitude of the decision they are making.”