Risk Management Magazine

We watch television, send and receive emails and text messages and make telephone calls daily. You’d think we’d be pretty adept at communicating, right? Not always. Let me share a personal example.

For years I have bought my children small dirt bikes and ridden with them. I never let them ride without wearing their personal protective equipment (PPE) and always set the example by wearing my own — except that one day when I made an exception.

As a senior NCO, I had the opportunity to influence many Soldiers over the years. Sometimes, however, my junior Soldiers impressed me instead of the other way around. One young Soldier affected the rest of my career — and even saved my life — by insisting on rehearsing rollover battle drills.