JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
Three things rarely heard are, "Why yes, I did enjoy my last root canal," or "No thank you, I do not wish to get promoted," and "I'm going to get drunk tonight and drive into a telephone pole."
Even though Airmen don't plan to drink and drive, sometimes they find themselves walking, or stumbling, to their car with keys in hand. Perhaps they had a designated driver who starting drinking, or they got tired of waiting for a taxi or ran out of money for one.
"Each of our decisions has its own consequences," said Staff Sgt. Robert Shearer, Area Defense Counsel paralegal. "This is especially true for the decision to drink alcohol. Somewhere between developing a safety plan and executing the plan, something goes wrong."
Things certainly went wrong for Sarah Panzau. Aug. 23, 2003, with a blood alcohol level four times the legal limit, she missed a highway exit and rolled her car four times. Sarah's decision to drive drunk landed her in the hospital for several months and resulted in more than 30 surgeries including the partial amputation of her left arm. This ended her college volleyball career and sent her down the path of speaking to others about her mistakes.
Sponsored by Charleston's Airmen Against Drunk Driving, Sarah will be speaking about making choices and drunk driving at the base theater on Feb. 9 at 1:30 p.m. and Feb. 11 at 1:00 p.m. These presentations are mandatory for all Airmen 25 years old and under.
In addition to Sarah Panzau's visit, 628th Air Base Wing Safety has increased its Alive at 25 campaign to five days a week.
Alive at 25 is a National Safety Council defensive driving course aimed at behavior modification. The aim is teaching young people how to make the right choices. It is a nationally recognized, four-hour program used in high schools and law enforcement safe driving courses.
"It is not a drag race course," said Master Sgt. Erwin Arguilla, superintendent of Wing Safety. "And it's not all about alcohol. The course discusses risk identification, distracted driving such as texting, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, driving under emotional conditions and driving under stress."
Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Graham, ground safety technician and the Alive at 25 instructor, explained that young drivers are the smallest number of drivers in the United States, but these drivers are involved in almost one third of all automobile crashes.
If you are 25 or under and are still reading, pay attention. Many young drivers get a discount on their car insurance by passing this course. Drivers could also get points taken off of their driving record if they have previous moving violations. Glad you paid attention?
In next few months, dependents between the ages of 15 and 24 will be authorized to take the course at no charge. When available, military members should sign up through their unit safety representative.
"The class works," explained Sergeant Graham. "At almost every class there is at least one person who commits to not drink and drive after learning the behavior concepts."
What should Airmen do if their plan breaks down? One solution is to call AADD at 963-2233 (963-AADD). According to Staff Sgt. Amanda Lotspeich, AADD president, there are no restrictions for calling AADD.
"We do not ask for your name, squadron, age or anything like that," she said. "Our number one priority is the safety of you and other people on the road. However, we are designed to be a backup plan."
Sergeant Lotspeich explained that there are times when AADD doesn't have enough volunteers. When that happens, she offers these solutions:
1. Call your supervisor.
2. Call your first sergeant.
"I have never been to a commander's call where the first sergeant did not say 'call me if you need a safe ride home,'" she said. "I know most are intimidated to call their shirt, but I bet that he or she would rather pick you up from a bar than from jail."
Her third solution is to tell the bartender you need an "alert cab." Pearlstine Distributors, the Anheuser-Busch distributor for Charleston, S.C., and Yellow Cab company sponsor this program. The bartender will call a cab for you and give you a voucher. Give the voucher to the cab driver and Pearlstine pays for the ride.
Just because you're over 25 doesn't mean you should stop reading now. In fact, there are other issues for people of all ages. Not only is drunk driving a serious health risk, it can also affect the other parts of your life.
According to the ADC, the State of South Carolina has strict laws for driving drunk, and there are numerous possible consequences besides hurting oneself or another person.
"You will be taken into custody," he said. "The only way out is to be released to your unit or released at a bond hearing. This is when your problems really begin."
Sergeant Shearer also said the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate may request jurisdiction over the case. In fact, Air Force Instruction 51-201 encourages it. If the Air Force does receive jurisdiction, a violator could face actions up to and including a full court-martial. In the past, units have leaned toward Article 15s and almost always a reduction in grade as punishment. Recently, however, there have been a number of cases brought to courts-martial. While not every driving under the influence offense goes to a court-martial, the precedent has been set and many commanders are utilizing this option.
"Depending on the type of court-martial you face, you could receive several possible punishments including forfeiture of pay, reduction in grade, confinement, and a punitive discharge," explained Sergeant Shearer. "Also, depending on the type of court-martial, you may also receive a federal conviction. Try explaining a federal conviction at your first civilian job interview."
Airmen will find no better luck being tried under civilian jurisdiction. The lightest punishment for a first-time conviction of driving under the influence in South Carolina is a mandatory 6-month license suspension. Depending upon blood alcohol level, the punishment also includes mandatory jail time up to 30 days and a mandatory fine up to $1,000 plus court costs and lawyer fees. But a civilian conviction still does not shelter Airmen from military justice. Their unit commander maintains a number of options including a Letter of Reprimand, an Unfavorable Information File, an administrative separation or other possible actions.
As you can see, drinking as driving is a big mistake. But you knew that already didn't you? The question is, will you remember it tonight?