Fort Huachuca, Arizona - Across the United States on the 4th of July, Americans celebrate the independence of our Nation with barbeques, parades, concerts, and of course, fireworks. While it is a great weekend to enjoy with family and friends, never forget the bold experiment in democracy our Fore Fathers started 240 years and the sacrifices they made in the name of freedom and American values.

While you make your holiday weekend plans, keep safety at the fore front. While the 4th

of July is a joyous holiday, one unsafe act could jeopardize the life of a service member,family member, teammate, or friend. 4thIJuly weekend is the deadliest weekend in theUnited

States and most accidents revolve around driving, swimming, or fireworks. Statistically,400 people will die and 41,000 people will be injured in one of these activities thisweekend.

Excessive alcohol consumption is frequently a contributing factor. Ensure you havea designated driver plan and while many of our holiday activities are pretty safe, addingalcohol can make them deadly.

In the past few weeks, Arizona has experienced record breaking temperatures.Please exercise caution when exposed to the heat, avoid strenuous outdoor activities, and drink plenty of water. In our high paced and busy society, an unfortunate trend developed inour country: children dying in hot cars because caregivers forgot about them or thechild wandered into the vehicle and could not get out. It does not take long for the inside of thecar to reach deadly temperatures. A car's internal temperature can increase 19� in only10 minutes and 29� in 20 minutes, creating unbearable conditions for anyone towithstand, especially our children and pets. Always monitor and pay attention to your children especially during these times of extreme heat.

Relax and enjoy this weekend but we want our Nation's greatest asset, our servicemembers, to stay safe doing so. I encourage you to celebrate this patriotic day with enthusiasmbut remember the sacrifices of our Fore Fathers and those service members who camebefore us, stood up to evil, and pledged their lives to protect our great Americanliberties.

"Always Out Front and Army Strong!"

SCOTT D. BERRIER

Major General, USA Commanding

THOM J. LATTER

Command Sergeant Major, USA