Holt "deploys" safety in Iraq

  • Published
  • By Shawn Jacobs
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  Elements of Arnold Engineering Development Center's (AEDC) safety campaign - known on base as "Beyond Zero" - have made it as far as Iraq and may be partially responsible for an entire unit of the Tennessee Army National Guard returning safe and sound from their recent deployment.

Aerospace Testing Alliance (ATA) Safety Manager Warner Holt held a different job as the facilities, operations and maintenance branch deputy manager before he was deployed last year in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Holt is a lieutenant colonel in the Army National Guard and is the commander of the Regimental Fires Squadron of the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, headquartered in Winchester. ATA's safety campaign had made such an impact on him that he was determined to make it a cornerstone of his command of the Field Artillery Squadron of the 278th, which deployed more than 500 troops and picked up another 500 troops when he arrived in Iraq.

During the deployment he was assigned as the garrison commander for Contingency Operating Sites Marez and Diamondback, and he commanded three organic Convoy Security Companies, which successfully executed more than 450 combat convoy escort missions throughout northern Iraq.

"It was a great mission," Colonel Holt said. "Of the 500 troops we took over, everybody came home. We're proud of that.

"When I first learned about the mission, I started asking what our greatest threat is, and it was the IED (improvised explosive device). I went out to Fort Huachuca, Ariz., where they have a very concerted effort to defeat the IED. I went there to learn as much as I could about the IED and to get qualified as a tactical electronic warfare officer (TEWO), because that was our greatest threat."

Colonel Holt said, even though he would not be performing in the TEWO role while in Iraq, he wanted to learn more about the IED so he could ensure his troops were properly educated on this threat. He said the school had never had a squadron commander attend their course and, after completing the TEWO qualification course, he had a better idea of who the right person would be to put in that critical position. He said his unit was very successful in defeating the IED while they were in Iraq. His troops sustained 27 IED, direct fire or indirect fire events while deployed, but no one was seriously injured.

Just prior to arriving in Iraq, Colonel Holt uncovered some additional information that surprised him. He learned that vehicle accidents ─ not IEDs ─ were actually the number one killer of troops. Unqualified soldiers driving the new Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles was among the top safety violations responsible for accidents.

"They [MRAPS] were sustaining the blasts from the IEDs and saving the lives of our soldiers, but what was hurting them was driving these large vehicles without proper training, driving them too fast, not wearing seat belts, not wearing a gunner's harness - all things that are preventable," Colonel Holt said. "I hit the safety issue hard and emphasized the fact that accidents are preventable because, not unlike here at AEDC, you look at the information and you do whatever you can to mitigate the risk.

"I met one-on-one with my troops in smaller groups ... and explained the safety trends, the risks and my expectations to them. I talked to them straight up about the aspects of safety and what's killing and injuring U.S. soldiers in Iraq. I think at that time there had been 16 or so deaths and serious injuries in the previous year due to preventable accidents and vehicle rollover events. Again, most of the time these deaths and injuries were due to not following basic safety procedures and not using personal protective equipment (PPE) such as wearing seat belts and gunner's restraints. My key leaders and I spent a lot of time and effort emphasizing the importance of following established procedures. Combat is not like playing a video game; there is no 'do over' button."

The colonel said he actually applied many of the principles and tactics from ATA's Beyond Zero (BZ) safety philosophy with his troops in Iraq.

"I didn't call it that [Beyond Zero] because folks wouldn't understand what that was, but I used the principles of BZ and discussed many of the same things that we talk about here at AEDC - the culture of caring, spending time in smaller groups with the troops and explaining to them it is not OK to get in one of these vehicles and move without your seat belt or PPE on," he said. "I told them there's an accountability issue here as well. They understand the expectations, so if I observe them taking an unnecessary risk there will be some consequences.

"During a previous deployment [in Afghanistan], I had the unfortunate and painful experience of looking the loved ones of a fallen soldier in the eyes and explaining to them how sorry I am about their loss. I vowed to do everything possible to ensure my troops got the message of safety and that there was no room for noncompliance."

Colonel Holt said that keeping troops safe is clearly a leadership issue, that the troops' first line leaders, all the way up to the squadron commander, are ultimately responsible for their safety.

"I made it a top priority to ensure that I and the leaders of the Fires Squadron would do whatever it took to ensure everybody is returned to their family safe and sound," he said. Of course, we had some bumps and bruises and some scrapes here and there, but everybody came back intact. As a commander, I couldn't ask for any more."

Colonel Holt said his unit came back early due to the troop drawdown. The mission was supposed to last through December, but they arrived home in early August.

The 25-year AEDC employee was quick to brag on ATA and how the company supports its deployed employees.

"You won't find a better company [that is] more supportive of their citizen soldiers," he said. "I'm greatly indebted and greatly appreciative of how they handle and take care of folks who are being deployed."

Colonel Holt said he knows he will always come back to a job after deployment, although it may not necessarily be the same job he left.

Colonel Holt, who has 28 years of service in the Army National Guard, was awarded two Bronze Stars for his service in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was also awarded the Combat Action Badge for his deployment amid hostile fire in Afghanistan in 2005-06.

He lives in Estill Springs with his wife of 22 years, Nancy, and their two children.