Risk Management Magazine

Weather in any environment can be just as dangerous as the enemy we are fighting. Because it can be different than what is briefed by the controlling agency, sometimes, depending on situation, you have to revise or abort the mission.

In the air, things can change — some for the good, some for the bad. That’s where good planning comes into play. The smallest detail can change the outcome of a flight, which is what happened to me on a deployment in Iraq.

As we flew the assistant division commander for operations to Forward Operating Base Warhorse for a meeting, we received a frantic call for help over the common frequency. The message was clear: A critically wounded Soldier at a smaller FOB needed immediate evacuation or he would die.