Ellsworth kicks off 0-1-3 educational campaign

  • Published
  • By Airman Hrair H. Palyan
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  Col. Mark Weatherington, 28th Bomb Wing commander, introduced the 0-1-3 responsible drinking educational campaign March 8, during his commander's calls at the Pride Hangar.

"The goal of the 0-1-3 campaign is to educate Airmen about responsible drinking and the importance of maintaining positive control of their actions," said Weatherington. "I want Airmen to understand that if they see a friend out there that exceeds the guideline, they should be a good wingman, get involved, and make sure the Airman makes a smart decision."

In 2011, Ellsworth had 64 alcohol related incidents: 30 incidents involved Airmen driving under the influence, eight incidents included some form of domestic violence, assault, or sexual assault, seven drunk and disorderly incidents, seven involved impaired duty incidents, four accidental injuries and eight other destructive incidents due to excessive alcohol. Ellsworth's DUI rate is 56 percent higher than the Air Force rate.

Lt. Col. Pagerine Jackson, 28th Medical Group deputy commander, oversaw the development and implementation of the new program by leading a working group representing nearly all units and all ranks that all contributed to the final initiative. She said there is no doubt that excessive drinking jeopardizes your life, career, relationships, financial health, and the lives of innocent members of our community.

She added that the guidelines are not a guarantee as tolerance varies with each individual based on a variety of physical and environmental factors, but the campaign's concept is:

"0" - A commitment to zero alcohol-related incidents.
"1" - Having no more than one drink per hour.
"3" - Having no more than three drinks per day.

Jackson said that all leaders encourage Airmen to take advantage of all social activities available to them, have a great time, and enjoy being assigned to Ellsworth. But, whenever alcohol is involved in our activities, drinking responsibly and ensuring safety is everyone's responsibility.