Robins combats DUIs with education, action plans Published April 10, 2009 By Wayne Crenshaw 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- A page showing the latest instance of it is the first thing to come up on every computer screen turned on at Robins. Meetings are regularly held about it. Every first sergeant preaches against it. A 24/7 phone line is set up and manned with volunteers ready to devote their own time and gas money to stop it. It can damage a career, cost a lot of money and ruin lives. And yet for all the efforts to stop Robins Airmen from drinking and driving, many still get behind the wheel of a car after having too much to drink. And lately the DARCON - Drug and Alcohol Responsibility Condition - that appears on base computers at startup seems to change alarmingly often. Anytime a DUI occurs the page is updated and Chief Master Sergeant Harold Hutchison, 78th Air Base Wing command chief sends out an e-mail to base leaders, detailing what happened and why. There is one recurring reason that Airmen ignore every opportunity to avoid a DUI. "They just think it's not going to happen to them," Chief Hutchison said. "It's always somebody else." A concerted effort to combat drunk driving began when Robins registered 75 DUIs in 2004, with most of those occurring off-base. That's when the Alcohol Issues Working Group was formed to address the problem. A key aspect was the creation of an Airmen Against Drunk Driving group on base, in which Airmen volunteer time around the clock to give rides to other Airmen who have been drinking and need a ride home. The group averages about nine rides per week, with most of those happening on Friday and Saturday night. Yet Airmen often ignore this fail-safe protection against getting hit with a DUI charge. Master Sgt. Tim Leanhart, chair of AIWG and first sergeant in the 78th Communications Squadron, said a key problem is that Airmen underestimate the effect of alcohol. "The short answer is 'I felt fine,'" Sergeant Leanhart said in describing the typical explanation when Airmen get a DUI. "That's the one answer that you get the most is that the individual felt fine enough that they didn't feel they had too much to drink, then they get behind the wheel of the car. However, what they don't count on is some of the laws here in Georgia." The law is that a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher will fetch a DUI charge. It may not even have to be that high if a driver is observed driving dangerously or gets in an accident. So just how much alcohol does it take to reach the legal limit? Some will offer various rules of thumb, but Sergeant Leanhart said there's really no way to know. The phone number for AADD - 222-0013 - is based on the concept that responsible drinking means one drink per hour and not more than three per night. But Sergeant Leanhart said that is meant more as a guide for responsible drinking at home. Even that modest amount is no guarantee against a DUI. And certainly, he said, the fact that a driver might feel fine to drive after drinking means little because some people have a higher tolerance for alcohol. Their blood-alcohol level could still be well over the legal limit. Therefore, Sergeant Leanhart said, the best way to avoid a DUI is to not mix drinking and driving at all. When Airmen go out to drink, they should be sure to have a designated driver or some other plan to get home, he said. The anti-DUI campaign that started four years ago achieved some immediate results. After the 75 DUIs in fiscal 2004, the number dropped to 43 in 2005. There were 35 DUIs in 2006, 41 in 2007 and 40 in 2008. Sergeant Leanhart said he would like to see that number fall again. "It is a disappointment in the sense that we would like for it to be zero," he said. "Any DUI is not good." AADD operates out of the Airmen Ministry Center on Friday and Saturday night, with Airmen on standby, ready to go at a moment's notice if an Airmen calls and needs a ride home. But the rest of the week, no matter the time of day, volunteers keep cell phones that ring if someone calls the AADD number. A call to that number on a weekday morning last week rang a few times before getting answered by Senior Airman Greer Keith. She said she usually keeps the phone for about a week at a time and will leave no matter when called, even if she is sound asleep, to give an Airman a ride home. She will usually give about three rides in a week. "I'm always the designated driver for my friends, so it's not a big deal to pick up other people," she said. "I've had some friends die in wrecks and it's not worth it." A common problem she sees is that Airmen spend more money than they planned to and don't have cash to call a cab. She has also seen instances of designated drivers who end up drinking, and sometimes the designated driver wants to go home before the drinkers do, or vice versa. Sergeant Robert Wilson, president of AADD here, gets frustrated when Airmen get a DUI when all they had to do was call the AADD number. "You wouldn't want to print it," Sergeant Wilson said when asked what he thinks whenever he sees one of Chief Hutchison's e-mails announcing another DUI. "Even before the night starts off they know they are going to drink," he said. "It just boils down to poor planning." AADD is always looking for volunteers, he said. Anyone who wants to volunteer can call the AADD number, and civilians can also volunteer. AADD also gives rides to civilians who have a Department of Defense employee card. Here's what Airmen face if they get caught: On a first time offense, if handled in Houston County State Court, the standard fine would be $801 plus 12 months of probation and a $54 per month probation fee. It would also mean five days of community service, completion of a drug and alcohol program, and perhaps most seriously of all, loss of drivers license for one year. On a second offense the fine would be $1,500, a year of probation with the monthly fee, 10 days in jail, 30 days of community service and loss of license for 18 months. Back on base, a DUI would also likely mean a letter of reprimand, Sergeant Leanhart said, and some type of administrative action - possibly even a demotion. Base leaders are stepping up their anti-DUI efforts even more. They developed an action plan that includes discussion of Georgia's DUI laws in newcomer orientation, having more alcohol awareness information incorporated into weekly roll calls, revamping the Wingman program as it relates to AADD, and looking at what universities are doing to cut down on excessive drinking. Sergeant Leanhart said it all boils down to getting the message across to Airmen that they need to plan ahead when they go out. "The answer is be responsible," he said. "The answer is to make sure you have a plan before you go out and drink and to stick with that plan, whether that plan is to have a designated driver with you and go in a group, whether that plan is have some extra money for that taxi ride home, whether that plan is to call a supervisor or call somebody. There are all kinds of options."