Risk Management Magazine

I don’t know why it took such a tragedy to confirm what our superiors had been telling us about wearing our Kevlar and seat belts. That accident changed the unit’s whole attitude. Our sergeant’s old war stories were now our reality. We finally got it, but we learned our lesson the hard way.

An important part of family safety is having a plan and being prepared in case an emergency strikes. Why? So you can increase your personal sense of security and peace of mind. Preparing just makes sense.

Back when I was a young buck sergeant, I got my teeth kicked in due to improper tool accountability. Getting one’s teeth kicked in isn’t as bad as it sounds; a little corrective training never hurt anyone. But this particular event inspired me to reach what I thought was an unreachable Soldier.