Risk Management Magazine

I took to climbing like a fish to flying. My group humored my attempts, walking me through some easy routes up the wall. Once I had my fill, my NCO decided to tackle a difficult route. Unfortunately, his gear malfunctioned, and he fell from the face of the rock wall, striking a ledge on the way down.

In my younger years, I possessed all the qualities of an effective warfighter — strength, tenacity, energy, speed and fearlessness. I quickly discovered, however, that those combat traits did not necessarily translate to safe motorcycle riding.