SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- While America celebrated its Independence this past weekend, we received some sad news that one of our Total Force partners passed away from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident that occurred in late May.

Tech. Sgt. William Wolfe, a reservist who was on active duty and assigned to the 932nd Maintenance Squadron, was involved in a motorcycle accident on May 23 and had been in a Memphis hospital until he suddenly succumbed to his injuries July 3.

The 375th Air Mobility Wing also spent this week saying goodbye to a fellow Airman -- Airman 1st Class Jamarrio Beathea -- who was killed in a vehicle accident June 23. In addition to a July 2 funeral heavily attended by his squadron mates, his memorial service, scheduled for this afternoon, July 8, pays tribute to a life cut too short.

As commanders and fellow Wingmen, we do our best to emphasize safety and safe practices, but ultimately only you can decide to heed the warnings and take the necessary precautions to ensure your and others safety. We can put wrecked vehicles near the front gate as somber reminders, or perform seat belt checks to get the message across. We can post signs and pass out posters. We often beat the drums and sound the alarms, but we know these efforts are effective only to a point because the ultimate mature decision of safe behavior belongs to you, and you alone.

We must all create and foster an attitude in which we understand that rules are not there to "keep us down" or "keep us from having fun." Simply put, these rules have proven over time to prevent injury and save lives, and are therefore worthwhile.

For example, the wing recently installed a skate park which is widely enjoyed by many of the teens on base. However, my safety team reports that many youth bring their safety gear with them, but don't want to wear it.  Due to these and other safety violations a few months ago, we were forced to close the park for several days as a reminder that skating in the park is a privilege and not a right.

But, withholding privileges is not how we want to operate at Scott AFB! We want to encourage responsible choices and adherence to established guidelines and rules. Whether in the skate park, your vehicle, or your home, we don't want to monitor every move you make. Rather, we need to encourage personal integrity and responsibility if we are going to keep our most valuable assets, our servicemen and women and their families, safe.

Attitudes can often mean the difference between life and death. Attitudes of "helmets are not for me" or "seatbelts are too confining" will only reap heartbreak when accidents occur. I ask that we shake off any old, bad habits and work toward creating a positive, assertive attitude of safety responsibility.

Sometimes we follow the rules and take every precaution, and things still go wrong. However, our chances of survival are greatly increased when we keep safety at the forefront of all we do. I ask that we do everything possible to foster a positive attitude of safety in our homes, families, work, and recreational environments.

Our nation depends on us to be 100 percent ready to perform our mission... we can only do that when we take safety seriously. Attitudes are contagious - is yours worth catching?