JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
Editor's note: The volunteers in this story did not operate any vehicles and were escorted home by approved personnel.
How long had it been? Two hours? Three? Half of the Airmen had trouble standing. The others poured drinks, the smell of alcohol pungent in the air.
Suddenly, a 633rd Security Forces Squadron Airman comes through the door. Everyone freezed.
"Thank you all for being here," said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. George Moore, 633rd SFS senior noncommissioned officer. "We will start the training soon, so please finish your drinks as soon as you can."
While many stories about drinking heavily tend to end in bad decisions, the Airmen in this scenario volunteered to do the opposite - they helped in training exercise for 633rd SFS personnel to better identify drunk drivers.
"Realistic training is the best way to give our Airmen the tools they need to handle DUI incidents on patrol," said Staff Sgt. Ryan Gulley, 633rd SFS unit trainer. "This exercise allows our Airmen to work face-to-face with intoxicated volunteers and perform all of the tests, commands and other actions they would out in the field. However, in a controlled training environment, they can ask questions to more seasoned officers of the law and refine their skills."
Security Forces NCOs worked side-by-side with new defenders to properly identify a possible drunk driver, how to perform tests and conclude if a driver is intoxicated. The intoxicated volunteers performed balance, hand-eye coordination and reflex tests. Also, the more seasoned Airmen trained new law officers on how to properly administer the tests.
Gulley said this training is nearly identical to what law enforcement officials see out on patrol.
"I've seen 36 DUIs in my career and all of them mirror what I saw when we conducted this exercise," said Gulley. "This means when our Airmen leave here, I know they can properly handle a DUI if necessary."
Gulley also said the volunteers learned something about their defenders during the exercise.
"This is one of the first times we've had volunteers from other units act as intoxicated drivers, and I think that is a real bonus," said Gulley. "Hopefully, our volunteers will see how difficult it is to get away with drinking and driving, they will tell their friends and coworkers, and maybe that will make some Airmen think twice before driving after they've had too much to drink."