CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
The summer is coming to a close, school is about to start and you can see the light at the end of tunnel for the operational readiness inspection.
Lots of hard work and energy went into preparing for the ORI and you have definitely earned a break. It's time to kick back, relax and have some fun before the summer officially ends, but it's important to remain vigilant for potential letdowns in attentiveness, safety and situational awareness.
Let's not forget we're still in the 101 Critical Days of Summer. No doubt, preparation for the ORI made you tired and now you have to be careful that exhaustion doesn't cloud your ability to make smart, responsible decisions regarding your daily activities, as well as any recreational activities you do. Ensuring safety, attentiveness and situational awareness remain in place will be vital as the 101 Critical Days of Summer come to a close.
You may have seen a recent message from Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott, 18th Air Force commander, regarding a trend of mishaps in the last weeks prior to the close of the 101 Critical Days of Summer. Historically, August is the worst month for the Air Force regarding summer mishaps. In the last five years, the last seven weeks of summer have produced 62 fatalities -- most of them vehicle related. More specifically, the last three weeks of summer have produced five fatalities due to recreation activities alone. The causal factors in the majority of these incidents were associated with fatigue, complacency or lack of situational awareness. It's important you don't let fatigue, mixed with the "letdown" of the ORI being finished, lead to complacency or lack of situational awareness and thus result in a safety mishap for you or your family.
General Scott's message reiterated that Air Mobility Command has done very well this summer in keeping our Airmen safe, but we all need to ensure that a "relaxed" mentality doesn't lead to a careless attitude of safety and attentiveness.
If you find yourself or your wingman willing to accept higher than normal risk, then it's time to stop what you're doing and reassess your activity. You can have fun, get some good rest and relaxation time and still close out the 101 Critical Days of Summer safely if you pledge to take care of yourself and your wingman.