Safety in Combat

 As a professional aviator whenever I talk about flying the number one topic is always safety. In my experiences in the military safety is preached non-stop and quickly forgotten, except for military aviation. While executing missions we are constantly working through and practicing safety to a T. As a lead gun on Gunships, instructors and evaluators are constantly telling me that "you have the S code and now everyone is trying to take it from you." (S code stands for safety observer). Once they first told me that line I thought they were joking around trying to make me paranoid.. It worked to an extent, they showed me that my biggest role is to make sure everything on the flight from start to finish is accomplished safely as well as efficiently. Even with all of the safety controls that are built in to the weapon systems, the tools are only as good as the person wielding them. “For safety is not a gadget but a state of mind.” – Eleanor Everet. While always concerned about your own safety it is an absolute must to think about your crew's safety and the ground party giving us the Calls For Fire. I think that everyone can benefit from watching a crew in a gunship operate, they would truly see the peak amount of safety and communication to be an effective force in combat operations.

 

References

During Women’s History Month, some thoughts from women about workplace safety - Safety Solutions & Supply (solutionsinsafety.com)

Spooky gunship crew honored for heroism during ferocious Afghanistan battle (airforcetimes.com) (a good read from my fellow aviators, as well as the image reference)