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.

For service members, the first few weeks of reintegration after a long combat tour are crucial. We have to discard basic actions of doing even the smallest tasks that kept us safe during a time of danger.