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Calling for 'culture of responsibility'

  • Published
  • By Capt. Michael Meridith
  • 319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
For several months, the “0-0-1-3” concept, a shorthand device representing the Air Force’s commitment to a culture of individual responsibility, has been a buzz phrase here. 

Standing for zero tolerance for driving under the influence, zero instances of underage drinking, a maximum of one drink an hour and three per night, 0-0-1-3 is less about prohibition than it is about changing attitudes. 

Encouraged by its impact here and at other bases, Col. Scott Reese, 319th Air Refueling Wing vice commander, made it a key point of discussion during a recent University of North Dakota-sponsored town hall on the subject of underage drinking. 

“We have a young population, and when they drink underage, they’re breaking the law - and we treat it that way. But, they’re also having a negative impact on our mission, and we can’t afford to lose anyone who supports that mission,” Colonel Reese told a group that included local mayors, university and secondary school officials and students, addiction counselors and members of the general public. 

Several individuals brought proposed solutions to what was seen as the “community problem” of underage drinking, with most agreeing that the solution was a broad-based approach to cultural change. 

This line of reasoning echoed Colonel Reese’s own remarks on 0-0-1-3. 

Those remarks were especially relevant given the fact that base leadership had recently sent letters to local businesses selling alcoholic beverages to enlist their aid in encouraging responsible drinking. 

“There’s hope [in solving the underage drinking issue] because you can normalize behaviors,” concluded Colonel Reese. 

“I remember a time when it was considered normal to smoke aboard a KC-135 - essentially a flying gas station. But we changed our culture and we normalized it out. We need to change old traditions and create a culture of responsibility.”