Shot for shots

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Joe Kreidel
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  Think you're okay to drive after a couple of drinks? Before sidling up to the bar with car keys in tow, you might want to take a lesson from two Kadena Airmen recently busted for drunk driving.
 
Airman X said he had a plan - a good plan. "I was going to walk to the dorm after a few beers," he said, but leaving the Airman's Club he saw a friend in the parking lot who was too drunk to make it back to his dorm near the main dining facility without assistance. Airman X offered to give him a ride; a few minutes later he was busted at a DUI enforcement checkpoint near Gate Five for driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08. 

Airman X was close to making staff sergeant, but he lost his line number to E-5, which was soon to take effect, and instead earned himself an Article 15, an Unfavorable Information File, 30 days of extra duty, 30 days of restriction, six months of probation, and the loss of his driving privileges for one year. 

Asked what he felt was the worst part of the incident's aftermath, Airman X said, "Talking to my Chief - that was awful. He'd come to count on me, and now I have to start over from the beginning to earn back his trust." 

"I felt fine," said Airman X, "but I really wish I'd looked at some other options to get my buddy home. My friends were furious when they found out what happened. Everybody was like 'Why didn't you call me?'" 

Conversely, Staff Sgt. Y may have thought he didn't have anyone to call. Bored at his off-base home and new to the island, Staff Sgt. Y went looking for friends on Gate Two Street in December 2008. Instead of friends, he found drinks, and the front end of his recently purchased sports car found the sturdy midsections of two trees. Mildly concussed, Sgt. Y was taken to the hospital for treatment. Upon arrival, his BAC was measured at 0.208 - there was enough alcohol in his blood to kill a small horse. In addition to receiving an Article 15, a UIF, and 45 days of extra duty, Sgt. Y lost his driving privileges for one year and half his pay for two months. 

"I should have just walked home," Sgt. Y said. "We're talking five kilometers. I could've jogged back to get my car in the morning." He could also have taken a cab or called 634-AADD to get a lift from one of the friendly Airmen volunteering that night. 

Of drinking and driving, Sgt. Y said, "Everybody's done it. You think, 'I'm good. I'm right around the corner - I'll be able to make it no problem.' But if you do it, it's a question of when - not if - you'll get caught."
 
Airman X says his new rule is "No drinks with keys," a piece of wisdom he's unfortunately had to learn the hard way. 




Editor's note: In the interest of privacy, the names of the Airmen interviewed in this story were removed, but these are real people and these events actually transpired.