365 critical days of the year Published June 19, 2007 By 1st Lt. Mike Weaver Twentieth Air Force F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo. -- When I hear about the 101 critical days of summer, I know I'm not the only one who thinks, "What? The rest of the year isn't critical?" We deal with safety risks every day at Warren, whether they're freak snow storms in June or wind gusts of 75 mph that can knock you off the road. Safety is a mindset we need to keep every day. It's never a good idea to hit the open water without a life vest, as a recent tragedy with a National Football League player demonstrated. It's never a good idea to go riding on a motorcycle without a helmet or other protective equipment, and it's never a good idea to be in a car without a seat belt. It's not even a good idea to go snowboarding without a helmet. Am I saying to avoid all risks? Absolutely not. If you avoid all risks, you probably won't have much fun. I plan on going skydiving sometime in the near future, but I won't be jumping out of the plane without a parachute. And I am sure going on a rollercoaster without being locked in would be extremely exciting, but I still prefer the safe way of doing it. It's all common sense, but as the saying goes, "common sense isn't that common" or more bluntly, "people do stupid things." The 101 Critical Days of Summer campaign is to make sure you are aware of the different risks during those months when the Air Force loses so many members. All the information about how to reduce risk wouldn't be necessary if everyone did it. So yes, these are the 101 Critical Days of Summer; but more importantly, it's the 365 critical days of the year.