VIEW FROM THE TOP >> 101 critical days – striving for safety

By Brig. Gen. Rowayne A. Schatz, Jr.
314th Airlift Wing commander


It’s great to be home Team Little Rock! I just spent the last month at Columbus AFB, Miss. as the President of a Safety Investigation Board for a T-38 that crashed on April 23, killing both pilots on board.

It was a sober experience walking the crash site, then spending a month trying to figure out what happened. I’ll never forget the smell of burnt aircraft aluminum and jet fuel. It is a smell that gets embedded in your skin as you walk the ground where two valued Airmen/sons/fathers died. It’s something no commander ever wants to smell on his or her watch.

That’s why commanders care about safety. We don’t ever want to walk the ground to investigate why you, one of our valued Airmen, died in an accident.

My first day back was last Friday, just in time to participate in Wingman Day which we purposely focused on safety and getting ready for the 101 critical days of summer. Our Wing Safety team did a great job building the plan for Wingman Day and I look forward to your feedback on how we can work to make Team Little Rock even better.

As we head toward another sunny summer season, we need to remember historically this time period poses the highest risk for accidents. Last Friday, AETC kicked off the initiative “Operation Safe Summer – Campaign for Safety!” offering education on the hazards and dangers the 101 critical days can present.

The Air Force lost 19 Airman during this same timeframe last year. According to the mishap data, 15 of those 19 fatalities were consequences of Airmen making poor choices leading up to these 100 percent preventable accidents. Team Little Rock lost three Airmen to motorcycle accidents last year, and I don’t ever want to give another speech at a memorial for one of our Airmen that was killed in a motorcycle accident. I need you to make safety and personal risk management a priority -- to protect each other, our people…our most valuable resource.

One of our hot safety topics is seat belt use. The leading cause of fatal mishaps during the 101 Critical Days of Summer is off-duty private motor vehicle mishaps. Proper seat belt use is one of the easiest ways to protect yourself. From 1975 to 2000, seat belts are estimated to have saved 135,102 lives, with 11,889 lives saved in 2000 alone. Seat belts remain mandatory on or off base, and on or off duty. No matter where you are or how fast you are going, wearing a seat belt will greatly increase your chance for survival.

Next Friday night we will hold a Team Little Rock D-Day Dining-In in Hangar 276 to celebrate our Combat Airlift heritage. Lt. Col. (Ret) Jack Downhill will be our guest speaker. Jack is a former commander of the 62nd Airlift Squadron and flew as a C-47 aircraft commander on D-Day. Our committee has a great evening planned and there are still some tickets available. I promise a fun night full of camaraderie and heritage—please come join us.

Tomorrow night we gather to say farewell and thank-you to Chief Brooke and Maria McLean. The McLean’s depart early next week for Hurlburt Field, Florida where Chief will assume the duties of the Command Chief for the 1st Special Operations Wing.
Chief, thanks for your selfless dedication to our Airmen and their families.

You and Maria have been a key part of our Team Little Rock leadership team for two years. You have made a positive difference in the quality of life for our Airmen and their families. Kim and I will miss you and Maria, and we join the Team Little Rock Community in wishing you fair skies and tailwinds always. You’ll be missed!

Again, it’s great to be home Team Little Rock. Thanks for all you do every day to help defend our nation and our way of life. Combat Airlift!