JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C.- –
Senior Airman Joshua Douglass, 437th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron maintainer, recently won the 437th AMXS "Don't take your car to the bar" art contest held at Joint Base Charleston - Air Base.
The art contest was held to help make the slogan "Don't take your car to the bar" stick with the Airmen of the 437th AMXS. The slogan is used to promote the concept that if you don't take the car to the bar with you, it won't be there for you to drink and drive home.
"Our main goal for the contest was to be able to promote Airmen to protect each other when situations like this arise," said Chief Master Sgt. Robert Scarlett, 437th AMXS maintenance superintendent. "You can eliminate the temptation of drinking and driving by eliminating the temptation being there."
There were seven entries total by the end of the contest, but there was only one that was hand-drawn.
"I have always drawn pictures my entire life," said Douglass. "So I decided to give this contest a try."
His poster depicts an Airman at a bar who has had a few drinks with his car wrapped around him tempting him to drive home. On the barstool next to him, a demon is depicted handing the Airman the keys to his car, also tempting him to drive home.
"To the right of the guy and the car, I drew the car leading to the consequences of a DUI as the Airman is locked up in jail," Douglass said. "If you look to the left of the poster, it shows you the options that you should take, instead of driving yourself home."
Scarlett said the winner of the contest helped portray the 437th AMXS anti-DUI focus on the decisions you make before you go out for a drink instead of reacting to the situation once you have had one too many.
"I hope we can get this slogan out there and have it stick in Airmen's minds," said Scarlett. "I have already been told by an Airman that he remembered the slogan as he went to the bar one night, and he walked home instead of driving."
The poster is currently on display in the front lobby of the five AMXS squadron buildings on JB Charleston.