So you think you're a good wingman?

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. David Dobrydney
  • 319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  So you think you're a good wingman?

Of course you do, who doesn't? When asked if you'd take action when your pal has had too much to drink, you would answer 'yes' without hesitation.

But is it really that simple? The recent statistics here suggest it isn't. Of the arrests for driving under the influence that have occurred on GFAFB, several can be linked to inaction on the part of a wingman.

That's according to 319th Air Base Wing Command Chief Master Sgt. David Duncan.

"More often than not, a wingman should have said something," Duncan said as he traced the idea of wingmen back to the earliest days of airborne combat.

"It started out with fighter pilots," Duncan began. "A wingman is someone who could see all around you and see what danger you're about to fly into."

But don't take the command chief's word for it. Here's a testimonial from an individual who was there.

Airman 1st Class Caitlin Borque, 319th Security Forces Squadron, remembers a recent DUI incident where she was in a car with an intoxicated driver, a fellow Airman. She had gone to the Airman's house with a group of friends to help celebrate her birthday.

"He came to the door with an alcoholic beverage in his hand," Borque recalled.

After visiting and drinking at the Airman's house, everyone piled into a car to go out to dinner. That's when the police pulled them over and arrested the driver.

Why didn't Borque speak up about the risk and nip the situation in the bud?

"I was too inebriated myself," Borque confessed.

Even if you're not the one who's drunk, it can still be hard to find the wherewithal to influence a potential DUI situation.

"They don't want to look like 'that guy' who's a wet blanket," Duncan said. "They don't understand that by wearing this uniform you have a duty to intervene."

As a security forces Airman, Borque felt quite deeply the lapse in judgment even though she wasn't the one arrested that day.

"I shouldn't have been so drunk I couldn't make that call," she said, "Being a cop, that's my job."

However, Borque said the incident drove home the idea to have a plan you and your friends can stick to.

For example, Borque suggested that plans can fall through when people get caught up in the moment, so why not plan for someone who isn't part of the celebration?

"Have someone who is NOT celebrating, to drop you off and pick you up afterward," she suggested.

But if your drunk buddy either doesn't have or doesn't stick to a plan, how do you get over that roadblock of resistance to keep him or her safe? Duncan said it's a matter of thinking about the rank on your shoulder (or lapel) and what that means.

"It's not about your buddy's career," he said. "If they're making bad choices, you're not the bad guy."

What happens when your buddy decides that you're not getting between him and his steering wheel?

"Be persistent, rally up other friends," Duncan advised. "Don't get into an altercation, but you can even try blocking the car."

As a last resort, there's also the option of calling the police.

"If your friend gets stopped a block from the bar, at least he didn't drive three blocks," Duncan concluded.

Of course when all's said and done it is the alcohol consumer who holds the true blame for an incident. But alcohol is a funny thing. It can make one quite vulnerable to power of suggestion.

So the next time you're out on the town and your intoxicated buddy starts suggesting he wants to give you a lift home, why not suggest borrowing his phone to call a cab or Airmen Against Drunk Driving at 740-CARE (2273)?