Safety key during 101 critical days Published May 30, 2006 By Col. Steve Arquiette 60th AMW commander TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- I hope everyone got as much out of this week’s Safety Day as I did. With Memorial Day and the start of 101 Critical Days of Summer next week, it is important we stay aggressive when educating our Airmen and families about the dangers and trends we are observing. Unfortunately, DUIs, suicide attempts and domestic abuse are on the rise among the Travis community, which indicates there are stressors among us that need to be addressed. While you can never tell when the human condition starts to crumble or what area the stressors will hit, whether it is divorce, child neglect, DUIs or something else, we need to stay proactive by strengthening our personal and Air Force families. It has been a rough year for Air Mobility Command and Travis for suicide. In the last 45 days, there have been seven suicide attempts, with one succeeding within the Travis family. We all know what the Wingman concept is, but it is critical we apply it. Stay vigilant for signs of suicide not only among your co-workers, but also their families. If someone doesn’t seem to be acting like themselves or is showing any hint they might be contemplating suicide, don’t be afraid to ask! To complement the suicide awareness training all Airmen must complete, Life Skills has a new suicide prevention video available to everyone through the ‘on demand’ videos on IP/TV. Please take the time to educate yourself and spread that knowledge to your peers. Continue to ask yourself, “Who in my program is on the edge.” You may save a life! Speaking of saving lives, I want to give major kudos to everyone who signed up to be a bone marrow donor last week. Capt. Nathan Campbell, 9th Air Refueling Squadron pilot, our Navy partners at the VQ3 Detachment and the rest of their team registered 2,334 new potential donors. This was a 2,100 percent increase from last year’s drive, which registered 111 people. The team also exceeded their goal of 2,000 potential donors and was one of the largest drives on the west coast in five years. Your commitment to this program and the sacrifice you may be asked to take goes to show the type of people we have at Travis — the type of people I am proud to serve with! In closing, I want to remind everyone to please have a safe beginning to the summer. Make wise decisions and always have a plan before embarking on the day. Let’s stay safe and have fun this summer!