thedrifter
11-03-05, 06:05 PM
Traffic Accidents Kill 11 Marines
MCB Camp Pendleton
Story by Lance Cpl. Antonio Rosas
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (Nov. 3, 2005) -- Eleven Marines died without a single shot being fired.
That is the final count of Marines from the 1st Marine Division that have perished from traffic related deaths for fiscal year 2005.
And already the new fiscal year has kicked off in October with its first traffic fatality involving a Marine on a motorcycle.
“The number-one killers in these accidents are fatigue, alcohol, excessive speed and not wearing seat belts,”said Paul Ojala, the safety director, 1st Mar. Div. “If I can just get the Marines to buckle-up that would help me save lives.”
Ojala, who has been working with Marines through demonstrations and safety briefs to reduce the number of traffic-related deaths, has responded to the drastic numbers by placing cars that have been totaled in accidents surrounded by 11 white crosses.
The crosses signify the 11 dead Marines from making poor decisions and it is a reminder to the Marines that one bad judgment call can result in a death that touches the lives of the brothers, sisters, friends and family that are associated to that person.
“I want the Marines to know that this is not a memorial, it is a reminder,”said Ojala, 49, from Tacoma, Wash., “Those are fallen comrades who died not on the battlefield, but back here at home.”
In Iraq and Afghanistan, Marines make life-saving decisions every day, and it is important that the trend continues while in the rear preparing for deployments.
For some combat veterans, such as two-time Operation Iraqi Freedom vet Sgt. Cody N. Icorn, 20, from Santa Barbara, Calif., a combat engineer with 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, losing Marines to non-combat related deaths hit home when one of his Marines succumbed to a crash stemming from fatigue behind the wheel.
“He was a good Marine, the best SMAW (shoulder-launched multipurpose assault weapon) operator I have ever seen, and it’s stupid that he died from something that could have been avoided by simply getting some rest and planning before a long drive,”said Icorn.
Icorn credits the display of crashed cars as a good reminder of what can happen and notes that the 11 crosses add a chilling touch.
“You see it (crashed car) every day as you drive by, and it’s there in your head as a reminder,”said Icorn.
The cars were originally to remain in place for 45 days. However, following the response from the public and a nod from Marine Corps Installations West Com-manding General, Brig. Gen. Michael R. Lehnert, the cars will stay as a reminder until well after the holidays as a possible deterrent to Marines making bad judgments.
Ojala points out that Marines generally know how to make the right decisions and receive safety briefs all the time. It comes down to that one individual at the lower end of the leadership chain, specifically corporals, to make that important decision at the right moment that can change the course of events from a terrible tragedy to saving a life.
Ellie
MCB Camp Pendleton
Story by Lance Cpl. Antonio Rosas
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (Nov. 3, 2005) -- Eleven Marines died without a single shot being fired.
That is the final count of Marines from the 1st Marine Division that have perished from traffic related deaths for fiscal year 2005.
And already the new fiscal year has kicked off in October with its first traffic fatality involving a Marine on a motorcycle.
“The number-one killers in these accidents are fatigue, alcohol, excessive speed and not wearing seat belts,”said Paul Ojala, the safety director, 1st Mar. Div. “If I can just get the Marines to buckle-up that would help me save lives.”
Ojala, who has been working with Marines through demonstrations and safety briefs to reduce the number of traffic-related deaths, has responded to the drastic numbers by placing cars that have been totaled in accidents surrounded by 11 white crosses.
The crosses signify the 11 dead Marines from making poor decisions and it is a reminder to the Marines that one bad judgment call can result in a death that touches the lives of the brothers, sisters, friends and family that are associated to that person.
“I want the Marines to know that this is not a memorial, it is a reminder,”said Ojala, 49, from Tacoma, Wash., “Those are fallen comrades who died not on the battlefield, but back here at home.”
In Iraq and Afghanistan, Marines make life-saving decisions every day, and it is important that the trend continues while in the rear preparing for deployments.
For some combat veterans, such as two-time Operation Iraqi Freedom vet Sgt. Cody N. Icorn, 20, from Santa Barbara, Calif., a combat engineer with 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, losing Marines to non-combat related deaths hit home when one of his Marines succumbed to a crash stemming from fatigue behind the wheel.
“He was a good Marine, the best SMAW (shoulder-launched multipurpose assault weapon) operator I have ever seen, and it’s stupid that he died from something that could have been avoided by simply getting some rest and planning before a long drive,”said Icorn.
Icorn credits the display of crashed cars as a good reminder of what can happen and notes that the 11 crosses add a chilling touch.
“You see it (crashed car) every day as you drive by, and it’s there in your head as a reminder,”said Icorn.
The cars were originally to remain in place for 45 days. However, following the response from the public and a nod from Marine Corps Installations West Com-manding General, Brig. Gen. Michael R. Lehnert, the cars will stay as a reminder until well after the holidays as a possible deterrent to Marines making bad judgments.
Ojala points out that Marines generally know how to make the right decisions and receive safety briefs all the time. It comes down to that one individual at the lower end of the leadership chain, specifically corporals, to make that important decision at the right moment that can change the course of events from a terrible tragedy to saving a life.
Ellie