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For years I have bought my children small dirt bikes and ridden with them. I never let them ride without wearing their personal protective equipment (PPE) and always set the example by wearing my own — except that one day when I made an exception.
As a senior NCO, I had the opportunity to influence many Soldiers over the years. Sometimes, however, my junior Soldiers impressed me instead of the other way around. One young Soldier affected the rest of my career — and even saved my life — by insisting on rehearsing rollover battle drills.
Here’s a quiz: Which four-wheeled vehicle is among the toughest, hardest-working and has, at times, a center of gravity several feet off the ground? If you guessed monster truck, you’d be wrong. The correct answer is forklift.
I am the supervisor of a field maintenance shop and have been in the military for more than 20 years. Driving and riding in automobiles and trucks is an everyday occurrence. What happened on this day, however, forever changed my view of driving.
Typically, mishaps are the result of many contributing factors rather than a single event. If any link in the chain is broken, the scenario changes and the mishap can be avoided. This is not just an aviation safety officer’s words from a PowerPoint presentation. It’s a fact.
My brother and I grew up biking all over the mountains of Utah and considered ourselves experienced riders. So, when our town celebrated the grand opening of a state-of-the-art mountain bike park, we couldn’t wait to hit the trails.