COMMENTARY: Airmen receive side of education with dinner

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Matthew Lotz
  • 31 Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  July 27 was definitely a night to remember. I was selected by my office to participate in an alcohol awareness event where I was told there was free food and wine. Who could say no to that?

The event was organized by base and community leaders to show young Airmen how their blood alcohol content elevates after having only a few drinks and the dangers of drinking and driving.

When we first arrived at Gelisi's Winery, the owners provided a long table that sat over 80 people and held bread, water and of course, wine. It only took us a few minutes after arriving before we started pouring ourselves tall glasses of homemade wine.

Col. Brent Vosseller, 31st Fighter Wing vice commander, and Chief Master Sgt Jeffrey Craver, command chief, spoke about the importance of this event and urged us to make the most out of the experience.
The Italian Carabinieri and a base medical representative then spoke to us about the dangers of drinking and driving and what the consequences could be. According to the Carabinieri officers, more than 120 driver's licenses have already been taken for driving under the influence this year.

After eating, we were all nervous and felt like lab rats just waiting to get picked for testing. Carabinieri, base and community leaders were watching us, waiting for that one brave Airman to go up and take the breathalyzer test first. By this time, I had already had three glasses of wine and a little bread, but was willing to be the first subject for their test.

As nervous as I was, my BAC came out to be 0.057. In most U.S. states, the legal BAC one is allowed to have is 0.08, but in Italy the legal limit is 0.05 to operate a motor vehicle if you are 21 or older. Anyone under 21 is not allowed to have any alcohol in their system when operating a motor vehicle in Italy.

I sat down feeling satisfied, because I know what a 0.05 BAC feels like. In the course of the night some airmen blew up to a 0.1, but knew they had a bus waiting for them outside to safely take them home.

I gained several things at the dinner: new friends, new wine choices, but most importantly a better understanding of the effects of alcohol on my body. The experience was very informational and showed most of us that even after only a few sips of wine we are still at risk of getting a DUI.