SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- With the 10th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks coming closer, we should all take a moment to look at how hard of a target we really are at home and at work. Over the last two years there have been several attacks and foiled plots against military personnel and installations throughout the United States. Most people never dream that something like this could ever happen but it has and it will continue to happen unless we make ourselves less of a target. On 5 November 2009, Major Hasan opened fire at the Solider Readiness Center at Fort Hood, Texas killing 13 people and wounding 29 more. Because of this incident the DoD implemented the Active Shooter program, which has prepared first responders and base personnel to react to a situation like the one at Fort Hood. On 2 March 2011, a bus carrying Security Force personnel to the Frankfurt Airport in Germany was attacked by a lone gun man. He killed 2 personnel and wounded 2 others before he was apprehended by German authorities and one of his would be victims. On 27 July 2011, an AWOL solider from Fort Campbell was arrested for carrying large amounts of ammunition, weapons and had a bomb in his backpack. He was arrested thanks to several tips from various sources, once arrested he confessed to plotting an attack on Fort Hood. On 31 August 2011, 3 military personnel from Scott AFB were taken to the hospital after inspecting mail at the mail processing facility; no suspects have been arrested at this time. Finally, on 6 September 2011, three military personnel were shot and killed while having breakfast at an IHOP in Carson City, Nevada. The shooter was killed by police but not before killing 5 people and wounding 6 others.

Now I mention these incidents as a reminder that we can be attacked at any time or any place by a terrorist or common criminal. But there are ways to protect yourself and your family. The first thing is to not make yourself a target and what I mean by this is to be careful of your surrounding environment. If possible don't wear your uniform when running errands after work. If you do happen to be at a restaurant in uniform try and sit near an exit or in an area where you will be able to see what is going on in front of you. If you are out for dinner with family or friends don't talk loudly about the military, your job or future deployments because you never know who may be listening to your conversation. If you, coworkers, or your family notice a suspicious individuals around their homes, on base near work centers, or downtown immediately call the local police or the Security Forces. Try and get a good description of the person or persons, their vehicle if they were in one and any activity they were doing and give all of this information to the police. Under no circumstance should you try and interact with them or try and stop them, if they try and talk with you remember what they asked you and tell them you are late from something. The biggest thing is to make sure everyone from the commanders down to the lowest ranking airmen are aware of what is going on. If people don't know, how are they going to protect themselves?

Everyone should also take steps at home to make sure their families are protected and aware of threats to military personnel. Again beware of any new vehicles parked around the neighborhood for long periods of time or if they constantly drive by the neighborhood. They are looking for an easy target to take advantage of. Tell your family about any new threats you may have been briefed about, but use as a means to educate and not scare them. Teach your kids to not talk to strangers and give out any personnel information. Ensure your are looking at you mail prior to bringing into your home to make sure it belongs to you and there are no signs of tempering or that contains any foreign substance. Vary your routes to and from work and other places you may frequent too often. If you ever have questions or concerns don't hesitate to ask your unit Antiterrorism Representative or call the Security Forces Emergency Operation Center for more assistance. Because we want to ensure you and your family are safe. Again, this is not meant to scare anyone but to re-educate on how to make yourself a hard target and protect you family.