AADD offers rides to military ID card holders Published May 12, 2009 By Senior Airman Carolyn Viss 15th Airlift Wing Public Affairs HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii -- Last year in Honolulu, there were 4,316 arrests for suspicion of drunk driving, some of whom were military servicemembers. In the last two weeks, Hickam Air Force Base has had five alcohol-related incidents. Those numbers may be shocking, but Airman Against Drunk Driving exists to combat the issue and keep Hickam AFB a safe place to live and work. Staffed with 20 volunteers every Friday and Saturday night from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., AADD took more than 35 calls last year, including 10 on New Year's Eve 2008, according to Senior Airman Billy Cecil, 324th Intelligence Squadron analyst and AADD president. "Drunk driving is an action that can carry immeasurable burdens that can affect the lives of those around you or those you do not know," Airman Cecil said in an e-mail to his squadron in January, encouraging them to call AADD or even his personal cell phone as opposed to driving under the influence. The service is anonymous, he said. Callers may identify themselves by their first name only, and volunteers are required to give only their first names during a "run." This is a free service to any military identification card holder, including dependants and civilians, the AADD president said. "Each weekend, there are five Airmen assigned to a shift, and there are two shifts a night for two nights," Airman Cecil said. Responding AADD volunteers are armed with a global positioning system and a ride-along wingman to help with directions and make or take calls to and from the person they are driving out to rescue. They are also given gas cards to replace what they use from their own tanks. "We'll drive someone anywhere on island," Airman Cecil said, "but, we won't take them to any drinking establishment or house party - we just take them from where they were drinking to their residence; where they are supposed to stay put." Because the volunteers are literally gathered and waiting at the USO for a phone call, they are dispatched immediately so callers won't have to wait long before they're picked up. "If you're downtown, pretty much the only wait time is the 20 to 30 minutes it takes for us to get in the car and drive down there," Airman Cecil said. "AADD is one of the most underappreciated programs our wing has," said Master Sgt. Doug Burhans, 15th Maintenance Group first sergeant. Like the Air Force, AADD is an all-volunteer force, he said. Unfortunately, week in and week out AADD finds itself short of volunteers. "As a first sergeant, taking care of our Airmen is one of our top priorities and having a program like AADD directly helps achieve our goal," Sergeant Burhans said. There is no doubt in my mind this program saves lives, not to mention careers." When an individual calls 449-RIDE or 449-LIFT during the hours AADD is stood up, the operator will ask: 1) where are you? 2) How many are in your party? 3) Where do you need to go? 4) How can we identify you when we arrive? However, because of Hawaii state laws regarding no-fault accidents and other insurance reasons, AADD volunteers will not drive an individual's personal vehicle home for them. "Our goal is to get people safely home from wherever they're drinking," Airman Cecil said. Once sober, it's that person's individual responsibility to find a friend or someone in their chain of command to help them retrieve their vehicle. "AADD should never be someone's first plan," Airman Cecil said. "Plan 'A' should be to have a designated driver, money for a taxi, or a friend or supervisor they can call. Plan 'B' is to call the AADD hotline." Although AADD is currently restricted by limited budget and volunteers to Friday and Saturday nights, Airman Cecil said he hopes AADD will be able to offer 24/7 availability. AADD is always looking for more volunteers, Airman Cecil said. For more information, e-mail him at bjcecil@hcc.ncsc.mil or call 655-3632.