OCR Text |
Show COMMENTARY TIMES January 22, 2009 A hangover worthy of living in infamy Hilltop TIMES Weekly Since 19-18 Hilltop Times Editorial Staff: Lee Carter... Standard-Examiner publisher Mary Lou Gomy. Hilltop Times Editor Lee Anne Hensley Hilltop Times Writer Deadlines: Editorial and news items are due by noon on the Friday prior to the Thursday print date. To submit news items e-mail hllltoptimesOstandard.net or call 625-4273. For Classified Advertising, call 625-4300. For Retail Advertising, call 625-4388. The Hilltop Times is published by Ogden Publishing Corporation, a private firm in no way connected with the U.S. Air Force, under, and in compliance with, a Memorandum of Understanding with Hill Air Force Base. The content of the Hilltop Times does not necessarily represent the views of, nor is it endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force or Hill Air Force Base (collectively, the Government). The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Government of the products or services advertised. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation or any other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user or patron. Editorial content is edited, prepared and provided by the Standard-Examiner's Davis County Office, 67 S. Utah, 84040. Additional odiJaflfll^QQjent is provided by various military and civilian wire services and Hill Air Force Base public affairs departments. Call 625-4273 with story ideas or comments, or send e-mail to Editor Mary Lou Gorny at mgomy@standard. net. Call 625-4300 for Classified Advertising or 625^388 for Retail Advertising. COMMENTARY BY AIRMAN ANTHONY JENNINGS 96th Air Base Wing Public Affairs E GLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. — Nobody ever did, or ever will, escape the consequences of his or her choices. No sane individual wants to live with the blood of another human being on his or her hands. I certainly don't. But on Oct. 19,1 made a choice that could have resulted in injury or death. I got behind the wheel of a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. As early as I can remember, I've heard countless stories of people who have had loved ones taken from them because someone chose to drink and drive. Every time I listened to each account, I recalled thinking, "How could someone make the choice to do something that not only put their life at risk, but the lives of others?" It was a normal Sunday morning, waking up with a headache the size of Texas and a nauseating discomfort in my belly, a hangover that will live in infamy. "I had a few more drinks than I should have," I thought. Now anyone who experienced nights where a few turned into, "more than I should have," probably heard of some effective ways to get rid of a hangover. In the movies, you see people treating hangovers with coffee, others, Tylenol. In this case, I didn't have either and wasn't in the mood to get any. Of course there's the ridiculous mythic hangover cure of another alcoholic beverage, also known as "the hair of the dog that bit you." Applied to drinks, it means, if overnight you have indulged too freely, take a glass of the same indulgence the next morning to soothe the nerves. One third of a bottle of Jack Daniels later, I didn't feel the hangover as much but the sour feeling in my stomach didn't disappear. While under the influence, the ability to make logi- cal decisions dissipates rapidly with every sip. So the decision to get into the car and go to get something that could fill the empty void in my stomach didn't sound like a bad idea. It was about halfway to Waffle House when I realized just how drunk I was, because the white Jennings lines, which are supposed to help you stay within your lane, were moving. After eating, I felt much better, although I finally came to the conclusion that I simply replaced a hangover with drunkenness and a full belly. The drive home was a long, constant struggle between alertness and consciousness. I made it through the gate, across the base and back to the dorm parking lot. "Home, at last," I remember thinking. Pulling in, I saw a friend on the second floor, and for some reason or another I thought it would be a good idea to rev up my engine, show off. Yeah, show them how cool I really am. After all, I'm invincible, I can drink and drive without any consequence. Another example of the effects of alcohol on a drunk: ego. Engine roars, tires squeal, I pass out. Boom, I crash. I jump the curb and hit a tree but I don't stop, no... I have to park the car. T\vo of my tires on the driver side are flattened in the crash. Steering is impeded, I smash into a parked car while attempting to pull into an empty spot. Reverse, try it again. I hit the same car, again. I finally come to rest six inches from the car I hit. This is surreal, this can't be happening. WHAT JUST HAPPENED? Within minutes, Security Forces Airmen are on the scene. I'm off to jail. What seemed like a fairly innocent decision, the choice to drink in the first place, was followed by a sequence of events that led to more impaired decisions and subsequently landed me with an Article 15, a reprimand, more than $3,500 in car damages, loss of rank, six months of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Team meetings, and suspended $100 pay for the next two months. Worse than any punishment that was issued, is the thought that I could have killed someone or myself, all because of one choice: to drive while under the influence. As a journalist, I've covered stories and taken countless photos of safety briefings and events like the "Save a life" tour, educating Airmen about the risks of irresponsible drinking and driving while intoxicated. At times we can get numb to the leadership barrage about the responsibility we have to drink responsibly, because we've heard it time and time again. We think things like, "Oh, it can't or won't happen to me." A sober mind may be able to decipher the logical decision, but an inebriated one has clouded judgment. This is my call to Airmen: Use common sense, plan ahead, designate a driver if drinking becomes part of the night's activities, or simply stay put until the alcohol is filtered out of your system. To leaders and supervisors: Make sure your troops know all the outlets at their disposal, like Airmen Against Drunk Driving. Though they may have heard it millions of times before, tell them again and remind them of the possible consequences. I've made decisions I regret but have learned from them. Sometimes leaders try to drive home the severity of the consequences a decision to drink and drive will have on your life. But as someone who's living with those consequences daily, I can tell you those scare tactics don't come close to the horror you experience in the aftermath of a DUI. I'm not an idiot, but you don't have to be dumb to make a dumb decision. Report suspicious activity via the AFOSI EAGLE EYES program Pial: 777-3056/3057/3058. Watch - Report - Protect Force Protection is Our Business - Everyone is a Sensor Fan Club , .^winners, Emily Koerbler ancj Christopher Buttanda, hold Jazz tickets which they won, presented to them by 75th Force Support Squadron Director John Patten and 75th FSS Sponsorship coordinator Kristi MacNeil, on Jan. 16. When you call or send an e-mail, your comments will be recorded and staffed through the agency responsible for action. Please give your supervisor and chain of command the opportunity to work with you in answering questions and solving problems before calling the Action Line. This will help me better serve your interests. Items of basewide interest will be published in the Hilltop Times. Phone numbers —The base agencies listed can be •-'.:.'•-. contacted directly if you have a complaint or a problem with their services: . Military Pay 777-1851 Security Forces 777-3056 24-hr. Crisis Information 777-3056 Civilian Pay ..777-6246 Force Support Squadron 777-4134 Air Force Suggestion ..777-6901 Base Restaurants 777-2043 • Program Retirement/Compensation 777-6142 Hill Straight Talk 777-9696 (civilian) IG Complaints 777-5305 Social Actions ..... 777-3516 (for appointment) Employer Relations. ...: 777-7129; IC Complaints ......,,777-5361 Military Housing 825-9392 Maintenance Safety Office ,.,.777-3333 Safety Office Hotline 586-9300 Union 777-3257 AFOSI Narcotics Hotline 777-1852 Family Assistance Center 777-3090 (when activated) (afterhours) .; " . "•••.': Take charge of your health and stop smoking! Effective February 2009,12 weeks of free tobacco cessation medication will be provided to Hill Air Force Base federal employees who sign up for the tobacco cessation classes at the Health and Wellness Center. Call 777-1215 for further information. THINK SAFETY Fraud, Waste or Abuse 777-5361 (recording) Loud Noise 1-877-885-9595 (complaints) 75th Medical Group 777.-4918 Civil Engineering 777-1856 Hill Pride Hotline 777-7433 Public Affairs 777-5333 Which do you prefer to watch: college or professional basketball? \ •i Hill's Total 2009 DUIs: 1 Hill's Last DUI: Unit Involved: Anthony Harrison 809th Maintenance Support Squadron Airmen Against Drinking and Driving provide rides when designated drivers are unavailable. Call 777-1111 any time to request a ride. "I'd choose professional basketball. It has a little more action." Bruce Dalton 309th Maintenance Wing, Commodities Dave Martinez Retired Doug Bundy Retired "I like professional basketball. I just do." "I like college basketball. They don't advertise it as much, and they don't get all the perks. They're pretty good people." "I like professional basketball, like to watch the Jazz." |