Base readies for summer safety season

Lt. Col. Ancel Yarbrough

Have you heard? Summer is here yet again! It may not have felt like summer with the past few cool nights, but the Air Force is ready to proclaim another 101 Critical Days of Summer, beginning May 29. Cannon Air Force Base is in the thick of making the most of this summer as we continue to train as “The World’s Most Lethal Warfighting Team” and prepare for the upcoming Air Expeditionary Force rotation 3/4.

I realize the skeptics in the crowd already have two things to say about any 101 Critical Days of Summer campaign. First, they clearly know the calendar shows the first day of summer isn’t until the summer solstice on June 21. I prefer to view the bonus days added by the Air Force as the military’s way of doing things bigger and better. Besides, if you have school-aged children, they begin their summer vacation around Memorial Day, whether Mom and Dad are ready or not. Second, most critics snipe that each summer campaign is merely a rehash of the last campaign, you know, be safe boating, camping, traveling and so forth.

This is where it’s my job to make sure this is “not your father’s summer campaign,” to borrow one company’s slogan. And when you think about what this summer has in store for Cannon Airmen, it must become a reality.

Traditionally, safety professionals in the Air Force run summer campaigns to highlight the necessity to be smart as outdoor recreation and summer vacation opportunities increase. We all enjoy getting away, taking a break or just relaxing with friends on the long summer evenings. Summer safety campaigns, like the rest of our societal norms, changed after Sept. 11, 2001.

For those of us serving our country, summers are no longer full of lazy afternoons and backyard barbecues. We are a nation at war, and for those of us at home station that means we are maintaining readiness. That doesn’t mean we can’t find the time to treat our families to a magical vacation or a fun outing at the lake, but it does mean that as we enjoy the warm summer days we must also keep in focus our primary calling. For us at Cannon, that calling is readiness — a readiness that has defined purpose complete with numerous scheduled deployments.

Cannon Airmen will spend many of this summer’s days deployed in preparation for the next AEF cycle. These training opportunities require teamwork and a level of execution that hones our skills while preserving our assets (both personnel and materiel). We’ll manage risk through sound operating practices and prudent decision making by all Airmen from commander down to the newest apprentice. This entails team members making numerous choices, personal and professional, both on and off duty. Whether you are deployed or at Cannon, at work or on vacation, making the right choice the first time eliminates many of the inherent risks of our profession and often prevents mishaps. Mishap prevention is exactly what the 101 Critical Days of Summer campaign is all about. You might say making the right choice preserves your ability to be a Lethal Warfighter.

This summer I encourage you to enjoy the great recreational opportunities that abound. I ask that as you spend time away from Cannon that you remember how much your unit needs your talents.

The bottom line is that if we all live smart, train hard and defend the freedoms of our country, at the end of this summer campaign we can all hold our heads high as “The World’s Most Lethal Warfighting Team.”

And when AEF 3/4 rolls around at the end of the summer, Cannon Airmen will lead the way for our country in the missions we’ve trained so hard to fulfill.