LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
While plans for the weekend may include a few of the local night clubs, a party at a friend's house or a game of beer pong, does it also include the name of a designated driver? If not, you are planning to fail.
Though many Airmen assume they can stop drinking long before they are intoxicated and therefore presuming they are safe to drive, 633d Air Base Wing leadership would rather Airmen "think smarter not harder" and utilize Airmen Against Drunk Driving.
The volunteer-driven program provides a free ride home for Langley-based active-duty Air Force members, their dependents and Department of Defense employees. The program is in place to diminish the number of alcohol-related driving incidents by keeping intoxicated members out of the driver's seat.
"We would rather pick someone up and take them home than have them picked by a coroner and later identified by family members," said Senior Airman Meshanda Washington, AADD Executive Council member. "Your family and career are far more important than a dumb mistake of driving while intoxicated."
To avoid scaring off potential callers who may be concerned about the privacy of the program, AADD volunteers offer a 100-percent confidentiality guarantee. The only items callers must provide to AADD volunteers are a contact number (in case AADD drivers cannot find them at the pickup site) and identification as proof of military service (Common Access Card, military dependent identification card, etc.) upon pickup.
"We do not ask for ages or notify chains of command," said Airman 1st Class Sally Kabugwa, AADD treasurer. Neither does AADD track the number of times an individual utilizes the services.
AADD services can be utilized as far north as Williamsburg, as far west as Newport News and throughout the city of Hampton, but for the safety of the volunteer drivers, services cannot extend beyond the peninsula. In addition, drivers will drop off callers to their home, whether on or off base.
Since its establishment in 1996, the AADD Executive Council has always welcomed suggestions for improving the 100-percent confidential program. Last November, Langley first sergeants became concerned about the success of the program in which 16 volunteers came out each weekend and answered less than five calls. In response, the AADD Executive Council voted recently to limit services to four-day weekends for a trial period.
The reduction in demand could be a positive if more Airmen are "planning to succeed," designating non-drinking drivers prior to going out.
"Always plan to succeed, never plan to fail," said Tech. Sgt. Leon Johnson, AADD vice president. "AADD is a great service and should only be used as a backup. If you use it as your primary means to get home, you have already 'planned to fail.'"
The AADD Call Center operates from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., Fridays through Sundays on holiday weekends, and is located in the Eagle's Wing, adjacent to the Airmen Leadership School and across from the First-Term Airmen Center. If you would like to volunteer, contact your first sergeant.