CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
We have all heard the magical words "What goes TDY stays TDY," but does it really? It does not matter if you are on a temporary duty assignment for two weeks to the entertainment capital of the world, better known as Las Vegas, where anything you want is within grasp, or if you're assigned to Korea for a one-year, unaccompanied tour. What happens at these locations can have serious repercussions.
Las Vegas has food, gambling, live entertainment and drinks available 24 hours a day and is a desired TDY for most. Korea, for many, is a one-year remote away from family and loved ones before heading to their next duty location. To others, Korea is a year-long party. There is no doubt the performance, dedication and professionalism displayed every day by our Airmen, NCOs, senior NCOs and officers, makes the Air Force the best air force in the world. It is their ingenuity and willingness to push the envelope that has enabled the Air Force to grow by leaps and bounds during its short existence. However, there is still an alarming increase in the number of disciplinary actions that transpire at these locations.
All too often, people believe rules and regulations are relaxed when TDY or deployed. Despite safety briefings, numerous rules and regulations and basic common sense, a significant number of individuals continue to engage in various forms of misconduct. Those same people who believe these rules and regulations are relaxed, generally find out unprofessional behavior and misconduct will not be tolerated when facing discipline.
We see a number of Airmen making the mistake of trying to drink underage, staying out past curfew or drinking well beyond the point of intoxication. Typically, those individuals don't realize until it is too late that, if they are caught, a chain reaction of events will occur and could have consequences for the next several years.
Usually conduct of this nature could result in an Article 15 which, if received, will most likely cause your next enlisted performance report to be a referral. Either one of these could cause you to say goodbye to your dream follow-on assignment you went to Korea to get. That's right! You will be getting a stateside assignment that fits the Air Force instead of that ideal location like Germany or Hawaii. You can possibly lose a stripe or two in addition to the assignment you were waiting for so long. Is this all, or could there be more?
That referral EPR does something else in the process: it prevents you from being promoted to that next rank you have been waiting for, or re-enlisting until you receive a non-referral EPR. So, as you can see, that one event of bad judgment or overindulgence can have serious impact on your career and can stay with you wherever you go. This leads back to the original question: does what happens at these locations really stay at these locations?