DUI: You Don't Want to Tell This Story

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Cynthia Spalding
  • 3rd Wing Public Affairs
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Driving under the influence, DUI, DWI, drunk driving, driving drunk; however you decide to say it, the sting of those words hits harder than you know when you have been labeled as "one of those" Airmen.

When I left my last duty station en-route to Elmendorf I was labeled as "A perfect OTS candidate" by my shop commander on my enlisted performance report which happened to be a firewall-five. I was doing a do-it-yourself move and decided to stay at a friend's house for a week in South Dakota. The night before I was going to head out they were having a party. My first mistake was allowing someone I did not know to make my drink.

My second mistake was not asking someone responsible to take my keys. As we sat down at the table to play a game, I took my first sip. It was 7p.m., Oct. 9, 2008.

Next thing I knew, I was waking up in a cold room with loud noises and not in my clothes. There were three beds with other girls. When I looked down at my shirt it read, "Pennington County Jail".

What happened? Who was I with? Was I driving? If I was driving, did I hurt or kill anyone? If someone was with me, who? Were they hurt? Where was my phone? Was I driving my new vehicle I just bought? What time is it? Those were just some of the many questions I was asking myself at that moment.

In the next room there were cops at a desk with a line of females in the same clothes. They were in cuffs and chains, all of them connected together in a line. I was terrified. How did I get into this mess?

The clock on the wall read 7:30 a.m., 12 hours later. A nurse came in to see me. I hadn't noticed but there was a very bad burn across my chest and hips and on my face from my forehead down to my neck. Those weren't all of my injuries. When I was finally able to talk to a cop, they informed me that I would go to court at 10 a.m. For two hours I sat in a room, terrified. I went to court after reading the police report. What could I argue? I knew that I had chosen the option to drink in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people.

According to the report I, "apparently ran a stop sign. At the end of the road there was a steep hill with marks in the grass from a vehicle, indicating that the vehicle had rolled over more than once."

I was lucky that there was a nurse living in a house near where my vehicle had crashed. She was able to immobilize my head to prevent any spinal damages.

My blood alcohol content was 0.136. It didn't matter that I didn't remember ever finishing the first drink, I was guilty. After pleading guilty and letting the judge know my situation, I was released and took a taxi to my friend's house. Being so close to Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, the first sergeant found me and assisted me in matters that I know I couldn't have handled on my own. My previous and future commanders had already been contacted.

God must have had an angel sitting on my shoulder for saving my life during this accident. My vehicle looked like a pancake. I was also thankful that my previous commander wanted to defend my reputation from Charleston to my future commander at Elmendorf, allowing me to continue my PCS to Alaska. Upon arrival, I met my superintendent and immediately began working out what to do next. I lost my license for a year on top of totaling my brand new vehicle. Walking around in Alaska during the winter coming from Charleston, South Carolina was not a pleasant experience.

Instead of meeting my commander and being greeted and welcomed for the first time, my commander read me my letter of reprimand with a tone of extreme disappointment in her voice. The letter was filed in my new unfavorable information file, where it stayed with me until December 1, 2009. I had lost the option of receiving below-the-zone, my car, my license, half of my belongings in the accident, extra leave time and my reputation.

It was hard knowing that even if I did the best possible job I could, I was still going to be ineligible for any type of award or recognition, until my UIF cleared. The next important thing I had to do was realize that, that was not who I was and start proving that to my new Air Force family. I volunteered for almost everything. If I was asked to complete a job, I not only completed it, but I surpassed the expectations and tried to make it better than expected.

Driving is a privilege, and I had neglected my obligations to be a safe driver, therefore, I forfeited my privilege. Learning from this mistake, my new plan included making a right turn. To look back at the good, not dwell on my faults and grow. This created a huge cliff in accomplishing my future goals in commissioning; however, I am determined to become a story of recovery, not of failure.

I am sharing my story to encourage you who have also gone through this unfortunate experience to be motivated and aware that you need to exceed expectations. I also encourage others who have not taken this wrong turn to make sure you have a plan in advance when you go out. Your experience might not turn out the same way as mine. It could end your Air Force career or worse your life. Don't be the next Airman that has to share their story. Telling mom and dad was hard enough.