Drinking, driving doesn't 'AADD' up

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Clark Staehle
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  Airmen Against Drunk Driving supports about 24,000 people at RAFs Mildenhall, Lakenheath and Feltwell, and they will help almost all of them find a safe way home if their plans fall through. 

The organization's vision is to have zero DUIs and eliminate all future alcohol-related driving incidents by providing military members, family members and civilians transportation without consequences or using chains of command. 

"We do have problems filling slots," said Tech. Sgt. Brian Niemi, 100th Communications Squadron and AADD RAF Mildenhall point of contact. "For having 200-plus volunteers, we're really crunched for more." 

The organization typically needs seven people on Fridays and eight people on Saturdays, but the way the program runs makes it easy to help. 

"The good thing about the AADD program is you can do it from home," said Staff Sgt. Christine Hawkins, 48th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, bioenvironmental engineering industrial hygiene team leader at RAF Lakenheath and AADD officer. 

If you volunteer as a dispatcher, you can do it from home. Drivers are also sent out from their homes. 

"The way the program works is the dispatcher will answer the cell phone and take the information," Sergeant Hawkins said. "The dispatcher then calls the driver and sends them out. The driver picks them up and takes them home. Drivers are the heart and soul of the program." 

Anyone who's interested can volunteer for AADD. Airmen, both officer and enlisted, Department of Defense and Ministry of Defence civilians and their families are all welcome to volunteer their time. 

The service volunteers provide to the community are essential to maintaining a healthy force. 

"Airmen Against Drunk Driving gives people an out," Sergeant Hawkins said. "(It) is something that's there when someone's plans fail. As a part of responsible drinking, they should have a plan. (Airmen Against Drunk Driving) shouldn't be anyone's plan to get home." 

But many people do end up using it as their first line of defense, and that ends up hurting the program. 

"Airmen Against Drunk Driving is staffed by volunteers," Sergeant Hawkins said. "If we're busy helping people who didn't really need rides, then you're hurting the one person that does really need it." 

With a support program like AADD in place, there's no excuse for anyone here to get a DUI. 

"You can get a ride from a cab, a wife, bus, train, designated driver or a supervisor, Sergeant Niemi said. "No one wants a DUI."