Risk Management Magazine

The very nature of our profession as Soldiers — training outdoors, wearing uniforms and carrying equipment — practically guarantees we will be exposed to heat stress.

In March 2003, my unit began its mission in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. We fought continuously, ending up at Saddam Hussein’s palace in Baghdad. We spent a few months in Baghdad when my unit received orders to deploy to Fallujah. This is where my story gets crazy.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the chance of a person being struck by lightning is less than one in a million. I’ve been struck twice — and I don’t feel very lucky.