Hickam AFB, community combat underage drinking

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Erin Smith
  • 15th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii --  Lt. Gov. James R. "Duke" Aiona, Jr., Col. John J. Torres, 15th Airlift Wing commander, and Dr. Chiyome L. Fukino, Director of the Hawaii State Department of Health gathered here today to publicly announce and sign a proclamation, naming Oct. 26, 2006 'Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Program Day." 

To combat underage drinking, Hickam AFB was selected to receive a grant from the Department of Justice which will allow the state and Hickam AFB to share $950 thousand over the next 3 years with the goal of reducing underage drinking in Airmen.
The Air Force has a zero tolerance approach to underage drinking and must offer alternatives to drinking alcohol. This grant will support that need on Hickam AFB and benefit surrounding communities to ensure underage drinking and drunk driving are addressed. 

"We know the damage [alcohol] has on us, short term and long term ..." said Governor Aiona. "I want to acknowledge the partnership that we have because it is much more than one entity or organization that needs to get involved, so to have [Mothers Against Drink Driving], to have Honolulu Police Department, to have our communities involved ... We need all these partnerships." 

Surveys are being conducted at Hickam AFB to help officials determine how to best use the money to serve Airmen, prevent underage drinking and offer alternatives to drinking alcohol. 

Lt. Gov. Aiona and Colonel Torres both expressed excitement about embarking on this initiative. 

"One of the best things I like about our Air Force is we have a great and highly educated force; this grant is another opportunity to add another tool to our toolkit for educating Airmen about the culture of responsible choices," said Colonel Torres. "That's what it's all about, empowering our young and our old to make good decisions. Good decisions in support of our community, in support of ourselves and in support of our family." 

The initiative will also support the Air Force's Wingman concept as well as ohana, meaning family or kin, and the spirit of ohana in Hawaii. 

"Wingman is our concept in which we help each other ..." he said. "This grant offers us the ability to put some programs in place to be good wingmen to each other and that is what we have the opportunity to do with our greater Hawaii community ... be good wingmen to Honolulu, to Hawaii ... I am so excited to be a part of that. 

We owe it to our people, our friends, our ohana in Hawaii and our service members to be good members not only of the Air Force but of the community as well."