Risk Management Magazine

In April 1989, two Soldiers were killed when they hit an oncoming vehicle. They’d both been drinking and neither was wearing a seat belt. They’d been on their way to pick up a fellow Soldier and bring him back to a party. However, they never returned. What happened changed my life forever. I was their platoon sergeant.

While I was attending the Aviation Maintenance Technician Course as a part of my Warrant Officer Basic Course at Fort Eustis, Virginia, my wife and 2-year-old daughter came for a visit. This weekend allowed us to spend some quality family time together, but it was also memorable for a very ugly and scary event that happened on the roadway.

If there is one thing that’s true about safety, it’s that there are no new ways to create accidents. The same scenarios keep happening again and again. Sharing personal stories of these mishaps (or near mishaps) allows us to see patterns and the decisions leading up to the event.