I too don't condone drunk driving, never have never will.
Shortly before I retired from the Air Force, the women that I worked with decided to take me to the NCO Club on my birthday. This was the first time I had been to the Club in years without my wife. My wife was 8 months along with our son and she did not want to come to the club and dance or drink soda. Anyway I had a few drinks, and the next thing I knew I was not in shape to drive. Actually I had only planned to have one drink, but when I got up to dance the girls refilled my glass. They intended to get me loaded, because I get funny when I get that way. They were going to prevent me from driving anyway. But after I had two drinks and realized I was buzzing, I went out and called my wife to come and get me. At the time we had a friend Kathy living with us. Kathy was the new secretary for the Base Commander.
At the time the temp was -30 and Michelle did not want to leave my Jeep at the club, so she brought Kathy to drive me home. Kathy came into the Club to see how things was going on, Michelle went back home. Kathy joined the women I worked with and we continued to have a good time. Only Kathy was not drinking anything but soda. When we decided to leave Kathy headed out to my Jeep, while I said goodnight to all my friends. As I approached the door I knew I was going to get the heck knocked out of me if I touched the metal door after walking across the wool carpet of the Club. When the temp is was below zero, static electricity will really hurt. One trick to prevent getting shocked, you can take your key ring and while holding it in your hand touch the door with a key. The static will jump from the key to the metal door and not hurt. Therefore when I went out the door I had my keys in my hand. I had slipped the ring over my finger and was flipping it around my finger as I walked toward my Jeep.
Security Police was sitting across the street watching everyone coming out of the club. What no one knew at the time one of the barmaids serving at the club was calling the Security Police and reporting when someone had too many drinks so thery would be caught. Therefore they were watching for me. I got about half way across the parking lot when the Security Police drove their car up and cut me off. They jumped out and stopped me. They started reading me my rights. Then they told me that the fact that I had my keys in my hand showed intent to drive. So I was under arrest. At this point Kathy pulled up with my Jeep. When Kathy stopped and got out the Security Police told her to get back into her Jeep and leave, that what was going on was none of her business. Kathy informed them she was my ride since I was not in condition to drive. They yelled at her to either get into her jeep and leave, or she would be arrested for interferance in an arrest. The cops refused to listen to anything she said. This really tightened Kathy's jaws so to speak.
I had a radio in my Jeep with the Base emergency channels on it. Kathy dialed the radio to the Command Post channel and called the Command Post and asked to speak to the Base Commander. The cops could hear her talking to someone and then the Command Post answering her. The Cops came over and threatened to pull her out of the Jeep. At that point the Command Post patched her through to the Base Commander. Kathy informed him of what the security Police was trying to do. The Commander asked her to put the Cops on the radio. Kathy rolled the window down and handed one of the cops the mike and told him Col Tayler wanted to talk to him. Mean time I am sitting on the back of the cop car handcuffed and not completely knowing what is going on. Suddenly the cops were there taking the handcuffs off me and wanting to know who Kathy was. I smiled and told them she was a good friend, nothing else. I got into the Jeep with Kathy and she drove me home.
The next day the cops was told that since they were going overboard, they would not stake out the NCO Club again. Col Taylor pointed out that here was an NCO doing the right thing, calling for a ride home, and they were interfering with his rights when he had done nothing wrong. Col Tayler started asking questions about how they knew about NCOs coming out of the Club when they had been drinking, and why the sudden increase in DUI arrest recently at the Club. it finally came out about the Barmaid who was calling in reporting people drinking. When someone got caught for DUI they were sent to a class, and placed on a special program. The barmaid ran the program. The snitch got fired from the club, and her actions was placed in her records.
