Holiday training like '.08 for 808 State' come in handy

By U.S. Army, Hawaii Public AffairsDecember 30, 2014

Holiday training like '.08 for 808 State' come in handy
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WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, Hawaii -- During this holiday season, no one should be a bystander, but instead all should "Take A Stand!" particularly against substance abuse.

Do not let excessive drinking lead you into making unsafe behaviors.

Make wise decisions, like a Soldier in the story below.

-- Redeployment celebration

One particular unit recently returned from deployment without a Soldier. The fallen Soldier's four closest friends decided they would celebrate life in his honor.

The four went to a bar in Waikiki. There, they ordered a round of shots.

While waiting on their drinks, the Soldiers started talking about the briefings they had, had that day, and one of them said the only thing he remembered was ".08 from the 808 State" brief. It dawned on him that the group didn't have a designated driver.

The Soldier was not the owner of the car, but he said he would drive and the others could drink with no worries. The other three Soldiers took him up on his pledge and proceeded to celebrate. They closed the bar down and left to return to the barracks.

While on the H-2 freeway, the police pulled them over. When the sober Soldier rolled down the driver's side window, the police officer could smell alcohol and asked for his driver's license, registration, safety inspection and proof of insurance. He complied and the police officer asked him if he had been drinking.

Of course, his reply was no, but the police officer asked him to step out of the car anyway. The officer administered a field sobriety test, which the Soldier passed.

Then the police officer asked the Soldier to take a breathalyzer test, and he did. It came back with a "0" reading, meaning there was no alcohol in his system.

The officer asked why he could smell so much alcohol coming out of the car, so the Soldier told him what had happened.

The police officer laughed. He had heard of the .08 for the 808 State briefing because it had been pitched to coincide with their campaign of "Over the Limit, Under Arrest." The officer allowed the Soldiers to continue their journey home.

The police officer had initially pulled the car over for a broken tail light. At the end of this situation, he did not write a citation; he only gave a warning.

The moral of this story is, all the jingles, all the campaigns -- like ".08 for the 808 State," "Arrive Alive, Be a Jerk," "Over the Limit under Arrest" -- are all designed to remind you of your training.

Be safe, take precautions and don't become a statistic. Use your head and make wise choices when you are out drinking.

(Note: Johnny Miller, prevention coordinator, Army Substance Abuse Prevention, Directorate of Human Resouces, U.S. Army Garrison, Hawaii contributed to this article.)

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U.S. Army Garrison, Hawaii