Risk Management Magazine

For service members, the first few weeks of reintegration after a long combat tour are crucial. We have to discard basic actions of doing even the smallest tasks that kept us safe during a time of danger. Surviving such harsh conditions also may give service members a false sense of invincibility.

I knew I couldn’t stop in time, so I instinctively grabbed a handful of front brake and started looking for maneuver options, but they were limited. There was no road shoulder — only a pineapple field to my right. Riding into it would ensure a crash, so that wasn’t a good option.

I thought working at Fort Drum, New York, for more than 18 years had given me a pretty good feel on how to gauge weather conditions. However, one winter day, my complacency and overconfidence made me question not only my “weather nose,” but also my sanity.