Silent Knights: Blowing the Whistle on Military Accidents and Their Cover-Ups - Softcover

Diehl, Alan E.

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9781574885446: Silent Knights: Blowing the Whistle on Military Accidents and Their Cover-Ups

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1574885448 ISBN 13: 9781574885446

Publisher: Potomac Books Inc, 2003

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During the past twenty years, more than 15,000 members of the U.S. armed forces have died in on-duty mishaps—compared with fewer than 1,000 killed by enemy action. But when such accidents occur, the military imposes a rigid code of silence. Commanders task subordinates, who are often unfamiliar with accident investigation procedures, to investigate these tragedies behind closed doors. This dysfunctional process almost guarantees that the mishap victims themselves are found to be at fault. Overlooked, and therefore uncorrected, problems soon lead to additional tragedies.

From an expert who observed the system from the inside, Silent Knights reveals some of the military’s best-kept secrets. Alan E. Diehl explains the complex causes of military accidents in layman’s terms and helps readers understand the dangers of undervaluing safety, health, ergonomics, and training in the military. He describes how cover-ups have long caused countless deaths and wasted billions of dollars while degrading defense effectiveness. Dr. Diehl calls for a new “GI Bill of Rights” that improves the safety and health of military personnel and establishes an independent agency to investigate military accidents. This book is for anyone concerned about America’s defense and the well-being of the men and women who bravely provide it.

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About the Author:

Often quoted by the national media and safety advocates, Alan E. Diehl, Ph.D., is an award-winning aviation safety expert with more than twenty-five years’ experience in aircraft design, aviation psychology, aircrew training, and accident investigation. He has worked for the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Air Force, where he was the senior safety scientist. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

From Publishers Weekly:

The investigation procedures for military accidents are corrupt, charges Alan E. Diehl, a former aviation safety expert for the U.S. Air Force. His muckraking look at friendly-fire fatalities of the last two decades, Silent Knights: Blowing the Whistle on Military Accidents and Their Cover-Ups, alleges that the military's code of secrecy regarding accidents, as well as its reluctance to spend money on certain safety measures, leads to lost lives and costs taxpayers enormous sums. Diehl x-rays high-profile calamities like the Ehime Maru/Greeneville collision last year and the plane crash that killed Ron Brown, showing how these and other misfortunes might have been avoided.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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