Save-a-Life tour stresses Wingman concept

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Marissa Tucker
  • 4th Fighter WIng Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C., (ACCNS) --  The Save-a-Life tour will come to the fitness center Nov. 10 from 8 a.m. til 4 p.m. to provide awareness about the negative effects of drunk driving.

According to the tour's mission statement, the tour is nationally recognized for its hard hitting messages about drunk driving while informing participants to make smart decisions.

Participation is open to everyone on base, although the event is targeted for Airmen 18-25 years old, said Staff Sgt. Henrie Young from the 4th Fighter Wing Safety Office.

"This program brings a different approach," Sergeant Young said. "Hopefully, it will have a staying effect on Airmen here."

Sergeant Young said the tour is quite different from others and includes the only multi-million- dollar drinking simulator in the world. The simulator controls the "blood alcohol levels" of the participant by blurring and blacking out the screen.

Created after 40 years of research in simulation and motion technology, the simulator includes five large TV screens to give the participant the field of vision they would have in a real vehicle. It includes a 50 square mile virtual landscape with over 87 miles of roadway.

The event will also include a very graphic video including actual accidents caused by drunk driving, emergency room scenes, and uncensored family responses to accidents and deaths caused by drunk driving shown by Brian Beldyga, who founded the tour after losing his fiancé to an accident caused by a drunk driver.

"The tour was intended to remind people to be a good friend and not let friends drive drunk, to save a life," Mr.Beldyga said while at Eglin Air Force Base, Fl., where the tour made its stop there Oct. 24.

More than 1,000 people are expected to attend the event, and Airmen are encouraged to attend with their squadrons.

Sergeant Young believes that when Airmen get DUIs, it affects their workplace as well as the entire Air Force.

"When someone gets a DUI, it affects their entire shop," Sergeant Young said. "If they get discharged, their work falls on someone else, and their deployment spot must be filled." 

For more information on the program, visit www.savealifetour.com, or call 722-4224.