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As the world’s premier land force, our Army relies on safe vehicle operations to accomplish missions of every magnitude. From combat operations to routine motor pool functions in garrison, drivers and vehicle crews provide critical support to the force. Accidents in Government Motor Vehicles (GMV), however, have historically been a leading cause of on-duty Soldier deaths.
Outside my windscreen looked like a scene from Star Wars when the Millennium Falcon travels through hyperspace. There was snow everywhere!
Flying offshore can be dangerous, and I heard horror stories from folks I knew who’d done the job. They shared tales of helicopters being blown off platforms and pilots having to perform emergency landings “in the drink.”
We’d briefed to shoot pen flares over a lake to mitigate the fire risk. However, because the flares did not have fins, some of them propelled in unexpected directions. This, combined with the wind, resulted in a mishap that, fortunately, had negligible consequences.
Inattention and a skill-based error almost led to a catastrophic event that would have been completely avoidable in 99.99 percent of instances. I almost let that .01 percent get me and my front-seater — and possibly the other crew.
There were a lot of risk factors that could have spelled disaster for this convoy, including fatigue, time of day, vehicle speed, convoy spacing, environmental hazards and lack of situational awareness. Thanks to good planning and risk analysis, my platoon took extra precautions against the added hazards.