Risk Management Magazine

I showed up at my first assignment as an aviator right as we were headed out the door for a deployment in Regional Command East. I was excited and nervous. My Readiness Level 3 to 2 progression took two flights and suddenly I was flying combat missions with my troop standardization pilot.

It started out like most any other night in a Balad — same mission, same timeline, same hot preflight. My co-pilot/gunner and I were to be the trail aircraft in a flight of two Apaches for yet another ground support mission over Baghdad.

If you’re an Army aviator, do you know why it is important to recognize the signs of fatigue and significant events in your life or the lives of the other Soldiers in your unit? I do. This is my story.