MEDIA CONTEST: You drink, you drive … you pay (part one)

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ACC MEDIA CONTEST --  The steel-faced wing commander sits behind his desk, reviewing the correspondence from the wing legal office. Inside this simple double pocketed folder contains a young Airman's future.

In the commander's office, the lines of supervision run from the young troop's immediate supervisor all the way to his group commander.

The disappointment is plainly evident on their faces, as if someone etched a somber visage on a piece of titanium.

The wing commander reviews the documents one last time and indicates he is ready to begin the proceedings. At a signal from his first sergeant, the Airman waiting just outside the office in his service dress uniform raps a single knock at the door. The wing commander delivers the formal answer, "Come," and so begins the formal process of an Article 15 action for a drunken driver.

The process does not end after the administrative proceedings. In fact, what some people may not realize is the amount of people, agencies and time involved for one DUI. There is a long list of events that happen before and after an Article 15 action for a DUI case. The Article 15 is just one small step in the whole process.

Consider this:

First, the suspect is arrested and taken to the police station. Then, he's advised of local implied consent laws and takes a breathalyzer test. This test determines the breath alcohol content of the suspect or, in cop speak, the BrAC. In South Dakota and on-base, the legal limit is .08. Then it gets a little different.

If the offender is downtown, depending on the discretion of the arresting officer, the suspect's car may be towed.

If the vehicle is towed, the owner is responsible to pay the fees to get it out of the impound yard, said Sgt. Brian Mueller of the Pennington County Sheriff's Department.

The local sheriff's office does not have a special cell where DUI offenders can sober up enough to be released.

"They head straight to jail," said Mueller.

The process for the installation is a little different.

If the DUI suspect is on base, his first sergeant gets a call from the security forces desk. What are a first sergeant's thoughts on having to pick up a DUI offender?

"I am not going to be happy," said Master Sgt. Jon Vance, 28th Mission Support Squadron first sergeant.

Sergeant Vance said he is more apt to be disappointed at the person than actually angry at him.

"I tell people all the time they can call me if they are in need of a ride," he said.

An unhappy first sergeant is probably the best that can happen for a routine DUI. If someone is hurt, attitudes immediately change.

If a drunk driver hurts or kills someone, I'd be a little mad, but sad for them too, considering the implications that will have for them from the Air Force. Sergeant Vance said. But, there are other issues to consider as well.

"After they sober up, they have committed themselves to a lifetime of guilt," Sergeant Vance said.


If apprehended by military authorities, and the testing conducted shows a person is intoxicated, the suspect will sign a preliminary suspension of driving privileges letter before being released to his first sergeant.

"The DUI offender isn't driving anywhere on base for six months," said Tech. Sgt. Christopher Plawman, 28th Security Forces flight chief.

All of this is, of course, assuming all the DUI offender did was drive while over the legal limit. What if someone got hurt due to someone else being behind the wheel while drunk? For one thing, the penalties are a lot worse.

"If someone gets hurt, that usually jumps it to a felony offense called vehicular battery," Mr. Mueller said. "If they kill someone, it's vehicular homicide."

Mr. Mueller said the penalties for those cases could be a lot worse than for a routine DUI.

The 28th Bomb Wing judge advocate's office agreed.

For a DUI, the offender is looking at a loss of a stripe or maybe two stripes, said Capt. Lisa Richard, 28th BW/SJA chief of military justice.

She also said members could see extra duty, restriction to base and a fine. But, what if someone gets killed?

"You're looking at a courtmartial for sure if the base has jurisdiction," she said. "Or a felony trial downtown."

So far, a DUI offender has a law enforcement agency involved, the base legal office, and his supervision and command section. He isn't driving on the installation for six months. So, he may need to involve a friend or family member to get him to work. But, the involvement does not stop there.

An alcohol screening is mandatory, said Staff Sgt. Jennifer Mills, 28th Medical Operations Squadron NCO in charge of life skills support center element.

Sergeant Mills said people coming to her office after their initial run-in with law enforcement are usually a little embarrassed.

Sergeant Mills explained, " We look at the individual's entire history (medical, substance use, family, education and other considerations) to see if he meets any of the criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence. "

Sergeant Mills said people coming to her office after their initial run-in with law enforcement are usually upset for being sent to her office and a little embarrassed.

"They know they are now under the eyes of their commander and first sergeant. They have to be away from their job for the initial screening plus a minimum of eight hours mandatory education. This can be hard on the individual and his work area, as well as an embarrassment."

Considering all of this, it's little wonder the sign adjacent to the revocation lot reads: DUI: Is it worth it?