For a number of people, marriage can be quite a challenge. This is even more so if the marriage has to undergo such stressful situations as having one partner go off to war.

A group of senior commandos gathered for a discussion regarding the destruction brought about by war to the home. Speaking before the special ops troops is Command Sgt. Maj. Chris Faris and his wife, Lisa. In addressing the audience consisting of 30 special ops Veterans, nearly all of whom were married, he said: “We’re going to share some pretty ugly, personal stuff here today.”

Faris, a member of the Delta Force and recipient of seven Bronze stars, including one for valor, spent more than two hours at the Joint Special Operations University. He and his wife Lisa shared, among others, the near-collapse of their 22-year relationship.

The activity is part of an initiative by Adm. William McRaven, commander of the US Special Operations Command, to deal with the increasing emotional strain on the force’s 66,000 members. For his part, Chris Faris has been talking to small groups of special ops troops regarding the challenges that he has encountered in his marriage, in order to help others with their own issues. It was only recently that Lisa began joining him for these sessions, a move that also led to inviting the spouses of service members to the activity.

Of Chris and Lisa Faris’ efforts, Adm. McRaven said that they “are doing something very personal and powerful for our community — they’re sharing their story with everyone. Our service members and spouses need to know that they are not alone with their challenges and problems.”