LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD

  • Published
  • By Sam Spooner
  • Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas
Via e-mail --  Reference the article "Don't Drown Your Career" (May/June 2010 issue of Torch, page 4) about the Airman who crashed while drunk driving and more recently "Charged with DUI" (January/February 2011 issue, page 5): Recently, I have had an opportunity to speak about driving under the influence and alcohol mishap prevention at three different units in the 17th Training Wing at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas. In addition, I have been providing new student briefs for quite a while, not only as the chief of safety, but also as a previous training squadron commander.

I have yet to have a class, regardless of size, which did not have someone impacted by DUI. Of course, you all know or have heard the message about DUI and how it can end your career or impact the lives of others. I can give you specific facts and figures regarding DUI, but until you have heard someone's voice crack as they tell you the story of how it impacted their lives you might not get it.

In 2005, my unit had three DUIs within one month. Obviously, this is not something I was particularly proud of, to say the least. I had to come up with an idea that would make a significant impact. My wife actually had the perfect solution, and I pursued it. I contacted three people who had been affected by drunk drivers, and they jumped at the opportunity to give their testimonials.

Two ladies briefed in tandem about their DUI experience. They had been on their way from Wichita Falls to Dallas for a dog show. On their way to the show, they were hit head-on by a drunk driver. The driver had gotten into an argument with his wife earlier in the day, drank a six pack of beer at his deer stand, and proceeded to drive the wrong direction on the highway.

Together, the women had more than $1 million in surgery costs to repair their legs from the impact. One of them suffered a permanent disability. You could feel the anger in her voice as she discussed how she could no longer ride horses -- a true passion gone forever because of a single irresponsible act of a complete stranger.

Following the tragic story from the two ladies, a gentleman with only one arm made his way to the podium. He talked of the day he was riding his bicycle in Wichita Falls and a drunk driver hit him head-on. The impact threw him over his handlebars into his own front yard. He remained in the hospital for the next six months of his life.

He told us about his right leg and how it now was mostly made of metal from all the reconstruction. He told us about how his dominant right arm had to be amputated.

Although the medical injuries were incredible, the next part of his story will forever be etched in my mind. His eyes filled with tears as he spoke about the effect the event had on his little girl. When the incident occurred, she saw him hurt and lying in the front yard -- an image no child should have to live with. He said when he returned home from the hospital while still going through rehabilitation, his young daughter would not leave his side. In fact, she brought her bed into his room so she could be next to him day and night. She was afraid he would leave and never come home again. Finally, he mentioned how he would never again be able to fully wrap both of his arms around her to comfort her.

At Commander's Calls focused on alcohol and DUI mishap prevention, our wing safety team asked for military volunteers to come forward and give their testimonies. There is one specific Commander's Call held for the Navy detachment which will always be part of my memory.

One of the Sailors departed the brief with tears in her eyes. Near the end of our presentation, she came back into the room and found the courage, for the first-time ever, to publicly tell her story about her older sister being killed by a drunk driver. You could have heard a pin drop as her words made an emotional impact on every single person in the room.

Personally, I know I never want to be the cause of such pain in anyone's life. The decisions you make can change not only your life, but the lives of those you never even knew. As wingmen, we all have a duty to prevent mishaps through our experiences and training. If you have a story to tell, please do so.

Let your voice be heard. ... It just might stop a mishap before it begins.

 Thank you for sharing your experiences. In this issue, beginning on page 8, we have a story of a 6-year-old boy who was orphaned two years ago when a drunk driver killed his mom and dad. Both were technical sergeants stationed at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.