Poor decisions while off duty have operational consequences. They cost lives, degrade readiness, and place unnecessary burden on families, units, and first responders.
The 101 Critical Days of Summer (CDS), running from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day (22 May - 7 September), is historically the deadliest off-duty period for the Marine Corps. We lose more Marines to preventable mishaps during the summer than at any other time as Marines take well-deserved leave and engage in high-risk recreational activities.
The CDS safety campaign is an annual Marine Corps and Navy initiative to increase awareness of potential risks related to off-duty recreational activities, as well as other summertime endeavors. We encourage our Marines and Sailors to continue getting out in front and not let our guard down in our collective efforts to educate about risk and understand behaviors that contribute to summer-related mishaps.
2026 101 Critical Days of Summer Presenter Script (141 kb)
2026 101 Critical Days of Summer PowerPoint (22 mb) 2026 101 Critical Days of Summer PowerPoint (7.0 mb Compressed) 2026 101 Critical Days of Summer PDF (2.9 mb) For those with limited bandwidth, please download from the section below.
2026 101 Critical Days of Summer No-photo PowerPoint 2026 101 Critical Days of Summer PowerPoint (Part 1) 2026 101 Critical Days of Summer PowerPoint (Part 2) 2026 101 Critical Days of Summer PowerPoint (Part 3)
Safety Awareness Dispatch 25-18 - All-Terrain Vehicle Mishaps
Safety Awareness Dispatch 25-10 - Bicycle Mishaps II Safety Awareness Dispatch 26-10 - E-Scooter Mishaps Episode VIII
Safety Awareness Dispatch 25-12 - Heat-Related Injuries
Safety Awareness Dispatch 25-25 - Ladder Falls
Safety Awareness Dispatch 25-31 - Motorcycle Safety-Behavior Matters
Safety Awareness Dispatch 24-17 - Summer Driving Mishaps
Safety Awareness Dispatch 25-23 - Pedestrian Safety
Safety Awareness Dispatch 26-14 - Off-Duty Boating Mishaps Safety Awareness Dispatch 25-16 - Swim-Related Mishaps Safety Awareness Dispatch 24-13 - Water Related Mishaps
Safety Awareness Dispatch 26-12 - 101 Critical Days of Summer
Bicycle Safety Summer Bicycle Safety
Hurricane Season Safety Tips
Heat and Alcohol: A Dangerous Mix Limit Your Sun Exposure Summer Heat Safety
Memorial Day Grilling Safety Tips
Swim Safety Tips Surfing Safety How to Identify Rip Currents Rip Current Safety Tips
Road Trip Safety
ATV Riding Safety Rules
Hurricane Safety and Preparedness Lightning Safety
Summer Outdoor Heat Safety Sunscreen Awareness
Labor Day Safety Grill Fire Safety Firework Safety
Summer Sport Safety
Rip Current Safety Swim Safety Summer Boating Safety
2026 MARINE CORPS 101 CRITICAL DAYS OF SUMMER SAFETY MESSAGE
Access safety related resources and mishap stats (CAC enabled).
Over the past five summers, we lost 51 Marines to off-duty mishaps, not to combat operations. The primary causes were private motor vehicles (25), motorcycles (16), pedestrian incidents (5) and water-related activities (5). Every one of these deaths was preventable.