Photo by Mark A. Schulz/4th POG PAO Kelly Narowski holds up a model of the human spinal cord while explaining what happens during a car accident, April 28.

Kelly Narowski is a visual reminder of the thinking that “you are not invincible.”

She spoke to Soldiers and civilians of the 4th Psychological Operations Group headquarters at Bank Hall, April 28 as part of the DUI prevention campaign given to members of the 4th PSYOP Group. The 4th PSYOP Group is the only active-duty PSYOP unit in the Army.

Her personal life story is saved until near the end of her message, intended primarily for young Soldiers who may not be aware of the consequences of their actions.

Narowski began with a anatomical review of the human brain and spinal cord with a model. She then provided the statistic that there were 34,000 car crash fatalities last year and this was down, according to her, because of less driving and the mandatory use of seat belts.

“You are not immune to the laws of physics,” she said and used personal examples of famous personalities to illustrate that a seatbelt can be a life saving device.
“I would not be a wheel chair user had I had been a seat belt user,” she said.

In order to relate to the Soldier level, Narowski said that “you would not go into battle without your body armor … so you need to think of your seatbelt in the same way.”

Later in her presentation, Narowski recounted part of her personal story that she had been drinking and was not wearing a seat belt when her friend asked her to drive a Jeep Wrangler on a curvy road along the California coast.

“It was the last time I ever walked,” she said.

Narowski also talked about other driving safety issues; including talking on a cell phone, texting while driving, eating or other activities that are the causes of crashes.

“Texting while driving is absurd to me, and it is now illegal in 23 states,” she said.

She also talked about an issue facing the military — Soldiers involved in motorcycle accidents. Narowski showed a video of a Fort Bragg Soldier who died in a motorcycle accident. She said that everyone should take the motorcycle training course.

This was supported by Mark Martin, group safety manager for 4th PSYOP.

“Kelly Narowski’s story makes safety personal. She is an inspiration to those who hear her story and often that is what it takes to get the message through to young Soldiers,” Martin said.

Narowski emphasized her personal approach in her conclusion by saying that “there are two kinds of people in the world, those who get it and those who don’t — be one of those who do.”