Ground Warrior articles from December 2005

Ground Warrior archives from December 2005

From the director, headquarters Marine Corps Safety Division.
December 22, 2005... Marines, I recently came across this quote by Louis Pasteur: "Did you ever observe to whom the accidents happen? Chance favors only the prepared mind." When you don't prepare for a task, you put yourself at risk for something going wrong....

From the editor.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
December 22, 2005... Marines, After more than a year's hiatus, the semi-annual Marine Corps ground-safety magazine is back. I recall reading the last issue, summer 2004 traffic-safety issue, while in the sands of Iraq and wondering where the stories were that...

50-percent mishap-reduction campaign.(Brief Article)
December 22, 2005... What Is It? On May 19, 2003. Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld challenged all services to achieve a 50-percent, across-the-board reduction in all mishaps by Sept. 30, 2005. Mishaps not only are expensive but rob us of our greatest assets--our...

I'm in charge!(Marine Corps, safety)
December 22, 2005... Today's Marines are tactical and technical experts who are our future leaders. They are capable of training and directing their Marines to be smart about managing risk while getting the job done. As the 2004 mishap-summary insert...

New Range Safety, Pocket Guide.
December 22, 2005... The Marine Corps Range and Training Area Management Division recently published a new Range Safety Pocket Guide. This tool gives Marines the basic information to effectively supervise live-fire training and to assist junior officers and staff...

How I shot a friend.(military weapons usage)(Cover Story)
December 22, 2005... You've heard the basic safety rules for handling weapons and undoubtedly will hear them again. Maybe you have heard them so many times you even are getting tired of hearing them. But it is vitally important that you understand these rules,...

A few words on negligent discharges.
December 22, 2005... This Ground Warrior contains several articles reflecting an increase in negligent discharges, the firing action of a weapon, absent the intent of the one holding the weapon. A safety-survey team looked at negligent discharges during OIF II; all...

Tales from the fighting hole: OIF motor-vehicle mishaps.(Operation Iraqi Freedom)(High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle usage in nights)(Brief Article)
December 22, 2005... Moving-vehicle mishaps (MVMs) during Operation Iraqi Freedom I and II have caused many injuries to Marines. To date, three MVMs have cost the lives of six Marines. Four Marine were lost when a HMMWV relied over into a canal. HMMWVs are...

Air-conditioning electrocution.(Marines, safety measures)
December 22, 2005... To provide some comfort and distraction from the heat and stress in Iraq, Marines and Soldiers are installing air-conditioning units and other electronics. Tents and buildings are equipped with air conditioners, VCRs, DVD players, televisions,...

Speed limit aren't just suggestions.(V-150 armored vehicle usage recommendations)
December 22, 2005... The V-150 armored vehicle, also known as a "commando armored personnel carrier," can bulldoze barricades, trees and stumps. It can climb 36-inch-high obstacles and 60-degree grades. It can plow through deep mud, snow, water, and ditches. Yet,...

HMMWVs can roll over.(military vehicles driving training )(Cover Story)
December 22, 2005... "We 'always' wear seatbelts, except when we are in a tactical training environment," one NCO stated, following a HMMWV rollover. In another HMMWV rollover, an SNCO said, "My Marines always obey the speed limit, but it doesn't really apply...

Just how flammable are tent?(educating mariners on the flammability of tents )
December 22, 2005... Some Marines who were smoking started a tent fire that caused $1.5 million in damage to military property and injured 26 personnel. Originating in a part of Camp Commando, Kuwait, the May 24 fire destroyed 22 tents before jumping over a large...

Protective gear proves itself again and again.
December 22, 2005... Camp Mahmudiyah, Iraq (April 17, 2004) "--It's heavy, hot and cumbersome. It also saves lives. Protective gear Marines wear in Iraq is performing as advertised. Helmets, Interceptor vests with the small-arms protective inserts, and even goggles...

The benefits of modern goggle technology.
December 22, 2005... Military people are outfitted with some of the most advanced personal protective equipment in the world. But PPE ensembles still include some items that are obsolete by commercial-market standards. One such element is the sun, wind and dust...

An old exercise returns.(combat training for Marine Corps)
December 22, 2005... An old exercise seems to be staging a comeback, but its hazards largely have been forgotten. We're talking about log drills, an exercise that dates back at least to the early 1900s. This exercise used to be conducted on most Marine Corps bases...

Negligence on the battlefield: three examples from OIF.(Operation Iraqi Freedom)
December 22, 2005... Kicked Charging Handle On a day in early April 2003, the Marines of Operation Iraqi Freedom were making their final push to Baghdad. Resistance came in pockets, with intense fighting for small towns along several mare supply routes (MSRs)....