AADD 'drives' DUIs off streets

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Maeson L. Elleman
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  Imagine it's late Friday night after a long day at work. You and your friends decide to visit some clubs off-base and go drinking. Although the original plan includes a designated driver, it eventually gets misinterpreted and the driver has a few drinks as well.

As the base curfew nears, everybody decides to go back to the base to continue their night back at home - only to realize no one is sober enough to drive. Instead of risking the drive and possibly ruining your military career, you decide to call Airmen Against Drunk Driving on Kadena for a safe and free trip home.

AADD, a volunteer program operated out of the Kadena United Service Organization, is a free program for servicemembers and their families to prevent driving while under the influence of alcoholic beverages in order to save lives and save careers. When AADD gets a call, the volunteers drive out in their own vehicles and pick up the caller to take them home.

"I think it's fantastic," said Capt. Julia Enriquez, a user of AADD, and former member of the 733rd Air Mobility Squadron who recently moved to Scott Air Force Base. "It's free and reliable, and the people are always very polite."

Volunteering to help out with AADD also has its own unique set of privileges.

"It looks good as bullets on your Enlisted Performance Report, you get Letters Of Appreciation from the AADD president after 15 hours and from the command chief after 25 hours, you get a free meal from Chili's Too, and you get the benefit of just helping out your fellow Airmen," said Airman 1st Class Kyle Slemmer, passenger service agent for the 733d AMS and frequent volunteer for the program.

Receiving a DUI or other alcohol-related charge can be devastating for any servicemember's career.

"If you get pulled over for a DUI, you could lose your license for a year or more, be required to receive forfeitures of pay, pay fines of up to several thousands of dollars and receive a reduction in rank," said Staff Sgt. Robert Mathews, assistant noncommissioned officer in charge of military justice.

With the recent spike of alcohol-related incidents, leadership has been cracking down on servicemembers and their families driving under the influence to keep people safe on- and off-base. As incidents elevated, the 18th Wing commander implemented a "Period of Reflection" to remind people of their responsibilities. Servicemembers were encouraged to remind each other and their families about being responsible with alcohol.

"The wingman concept is a term that all Airmen should be well acquainted with," said Airman 1st Class Scott Cole, 18th Contracting Squadron contracting administrator and executive scheduler for AADD. "And as wingmen, we're responsible for the safety and well-being of anyone we spend time with for any amount of time - especially if alcohol is involved."

For more information on volunteering with AADD, e-mail Airman 1st Class Scott Cole at scott.cole@kadena.af.mil or Senior Airman Jared Micks at jared.micks@kadena.af.mil. For a free ride home using AADD, call DSN 634-2233 or 098-959-5370.