Risk Management Magazine

It was August in Tikrit, Iraq, and I was assigned to C Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment (Air Ambulance). The unit’s deployment had been extended from 12 to 15 months and morale was dim — at best. Eventually, though, a light at the end of the tunnel appeared.

I was about 500 feet from the exit for Fort Belvoir, riding in the right lane on a poorly lit section of the road. I was just about home free when I suddenly saw a gray mass in front of me.

As downward trends go, the Army’s sustained decline in fatal mishaps in sedans and other four-wheeled private motor vehicles is a good news story for leaders and Soldiers at every level.