Risk Management Magazine

In September of 2017, I learned a tough lesson about how overconfidence can lead to complacency and, ultimately, injury.

Just about every Soldier has experienced the CS grenade. While the gas may be uncomfortable, it's an effective training tool and everyone is OK after a short period of time — especially if they’re wearing a protective mask. I learned, however, that these types of grenades can be dangerous if you lose focus during training.

It was the day before the start of deer season in upstate New York, and we were walking the farm to check the safety of our tree stands and search for recently used trails and buck rubbings.