Risk Management Magazine

It was 3 a.m. on a Sunday when I received a call from the brigade staff duty NCO. As a company first sergeant, you dread the middle-of-the-night phone call because the news is never good. This call wasn’t an exception. One of our Soldiers had been involved in an accident just 200 meters away from the battalion and brigade headquarters. I hung up the phone, crawled out of bed and prepared for the worst.

I was headed home from a 15-month-long deployment when I boarded a plane in Stuttgart, Germany. I sat impatiently on the plane, my mind filled with thoughts of seeing my family and friends once again. The trip from Germany was long, but it passed quickly as I thought about home. In all that excitement, not once did I imagine what was in store when we landed stateside.

Since I am lucky enough to live in an area with year-round nice weather, I have eschewed the treadmill and opted to trek the sidewalks near my home. Now that I am spending more time as a pedestrian, I’ve discovered many drivers do not respect foot travelers (surprise!).