Risk Management Magazine

As Soldiers in Aviation, we are tasked to operate many pieces of equipment. We are taught how to assess risk and mitigate it. However, dozens of Soldiers are killed every year operating a common piece of equipment — their private motor vehicle. 

The ride south over the Siskiyou Mountains from Oregon to California started out cool enough. Up at 4,000 feet, it was chilly enough that I was glad I had added the jacket liner and neck warmer. But a hundred miles later, as I descend into the Sacramento Valley, the temperature begins to soar. 

As we cruised down the road on my GSXR 750 at 40 mph, the girl riding on the back whispered into my ear, “What does this thing got?” At that exact moment, a little devil appeared on my shoulder and said, “Let’s show her!”