A Letter from the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps

Marines, Sailors, families and civilian teammates,

It’s summer, and most of you are expecting “the safety lecture” from me or from your command team. Stand by to be disappointed ...

I’ve personally received hundreds of safety lectures in my 36 years in the Corps, and I don’t think I can remember any one of them.

I’ve seen dozens of Marines, Sailors, family members and civilian teammates killed due to accidents, and I can remember every single one of them, vividly.

We are all about to head out for some much-deserved time off. We plan to execute a PCS move, take a family trip, or hit the beach — and not in the assault way, but the kind where you take the cooler and umbrella!. These are things you need to and should do. All I ask is that you take your safety culture with you. The CULTURE of safety just means that even when we are “off duty” (a misnomer by the way), we keep a weather eye out for danger. I do it when I’m in the car with my wife or children, I do it when I’m on the water fishing, or when I’m headed out for a run on the busy streets of Washington, D.C. Our CULTURE makes me ask “What’s that driver about to do?” or “Should I be headed out to fish when there is a small craft advisory?” (Hint: The answer is no …)

Sadly, while most of us are celebrating our summer holidays, some families will be burying those they love. That is a tragedy. We all signed up to defend the nation, and many of us have fought in Iraq, Afghanistan or Syria to ensure our nation’s safety. For more than 15 years, we had large numbers of forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, fighting against insurgents or the Taliban each day. During that time frame, we lost more to noncombat-related mishaps than to enemy action. That cannot be our standard. That cannot be something we accept.

The next fight is coming, and we need all hands ready to deploy. The loss of one of us to an accident is a tragedy that we cannot accept. Just be alert, and if you see an unsafe act ABOUT TO TAKE PLACE, say something or do something to change the trajectory of the situation. It’s not hard to do; it only takes a second; and it will allow a young Marine or Sailor to grow up to be an old Marine or Sailor. Please just keep your eyes moving, plan before you move out, and take care of each other.

When the fall comes, and we’re all still here, you can thank me for not giving you a safety lecture. I just want you to know that you are needed for the fight, and a few simple precautions will ensure your “101 days of summer” are not the last ones you have on this earth. Please don’t be the statistic; be the reason we didn’t have a statistic ...

Enjoy the summer, and take your culture of safety with you.

Semper Fidelis,

General Eric M. Smith, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps