AADD tops records in 2011, builds on reform in 2012 Published Jan. 24, 2012 By Senior Airman Joe McFadden 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Like many of her fellow first-term Airmen, Airman 1st Class Rachel Whitlatch got her first taste of Hurlburt Field doing intense physical training sessions and a multitude of briefings while attending the Commando Pride Airmen Center in June 2010. While there, one presentation's message stood out to Whitlatch, a medical records technician for the 1st Special Operations Medical Support Squadron: Airmen Against Drunk Driving, the base's anti-drunk driving prevention and response program. After being recruited during the CPAC session, she became a recurring dispatcher, connecting several Airmen in need of a ride home to dozens of volunteer drivers. "I do it because I don't want to see fellow Airmen fail," Whitlatch said. "I've always been told to look after the person beside you, and this is the best way I have to do that." Now as AADD's outreach liaison, she gives that same briefing at CPAC and is often the first impression of the program to newly welcomed Air Commando Airmen. But instead of solely focusing on recruitment, Whitlatch said her top priority is on educating and empowering fellow Airmen to make a plan before going out. "Our volunteers are very precious," Whitlatch said. "These drivers are using their time, money and vehicles to pick up people at all hours of the night. That's why I tell people to have a plan--have or be the designated driver; have money for cabfare, especially after payday; call your recall roster or friends; and finally call AADD as a last resort." Whitlatch's emphasis on utilizing other resources than AADD is not just part of her communication style; it's now engrained into the program itself. This change of approach, combined with increased program usage and rising gas prices, caused the AADD council to enact substantial reforms to its structure in 2011. "There has definitely been a high demand for AADD within the last year," said Senior Airman Michael Inman, commander's support staff for Air Force Special Operations Command Headquarters and president of AADD. "I believe these changes have worked out for the best, but our message is still the same-- AADD will always be there, no matter if it's day or night to help a fellow Air Commando." Under its original plan, AADD drivers and dispatchers solely came from a volunteer pool that varied from shift to shift, week to week. The program still met its goals, yet more than half of its 287 volunteers did just one shift in 2010. By contrast, 11 volunteers did more than 1,000 hours. Additionally, tighter disposable income levels may have played a role in both a volunteer's ability to continue contributing mileage and a caller's decision whether to call a cab or AADD first. An AADD ride home may be at no cost to the caller, but it's not always so for the driver. The council proposed a reform plan known as AADD 2.0 in March 2011. At its core, the proposal suggested squadrons rotate responsibility among each other and provide support for each weeklong shift. In doing so, drivers would only have to perform at least one shift a year, keeping with previous trends. The manpower requirements and financial burden placed on each regular volunteer would also be lessened as the pool of drivers expanded. "Our program is open to anyone on Hurlburt Field, so asking someone to volunteer at least once or twice a year isn't asking a lot," Inman said. "I would hope that, after volunteering, the members' would continue to volunteer or at least gain perspective on what it means to be on the receiving end of a call." Wing leadership endorsed AADD 2.0 in June 2011, and more than 20 squadrons, groups, tenant units and wing staff agencies stepped forward to provide drivers and dispatchers. Since then, AADD volunteers closed 2011 having dispatched 607 calls, a nearly 10 percent increase from the previous year. However, roughly a fifth of all calls ended in cancellations or the caller didn't show up when the driver arrived. Yet, of those remaining 489 calls, AADD volunteers spared 990 people from the consequences of a DUI. The figure represents a nearly 2:1 ratio of lives saved per call as well as the highest number of lives saved in a year in the program's history at Hurlburt Field. The record also made the current council ponder the meaning behind a potential four-digit figure in 2012. While each person returned home may represent a negated alcohol-related incident or death, it may also reflect a trend that more Airmen are making AADD their first resort. "AADD across the Air Force has been established to help those who are in need," Inman said. "Air Commandos should always have a plan prior to going out. But if and when that plan falls through, we will always be more than willing to help a fellow Airman out." With the structural change behind them and a renewed focus on "have a plan" for the future, the AADD council hopes 2012 will close with different milestones measured not only in numbers or calls, but in the shared efforts of the base community. "Our main goal for this year is to have the number of our calls/saves go down along with a decline in the number of DUIs or alcohol-related incidents," Inman said. "Of course, we're always going to be there to help people get a ride home. This program has also had the goal of zero DUIs, and we will not rest until that happens. But a decrease in both numbers will be a good indicator to me that more of our fellow Air Commandos are making a plan before going out and sticking to it." AADD is a coalition of Airmen, civilians and families united to save lives by providing Air Commandos a safe, anonymous ride home without fear of repercussion, eliminating the number of DUIs and alcohol-related injuries and deaths and educating base personnel about the ill effects of drinking and driving any time, any place, according to the program's presentations. If you're a DoD-ID cardholder, have exhausted all resources and are in need of a ride home, contact AADD at 884-8844. For more information about the program, contact Whitlatch or send an email to hurlburtaadd@hurlburt.af.mil. The following individuals volunteered before AADD 2.0 went into effect June 2011: Airman 1st Class Brent Admire Staff Sgt. Nathan Alexander Master Sgt. Joshua Anderson Staff Sgt. Adolfo Aparicio Staff Sgt. Christopher Barboza Airman 1st Class Brian Broadstock Senior Airman Jasmine Brooks Staff Sgt. Ronald Buchanan Staff Sgt. Alicia Campbell Capt. Brian Campion Staff Sgt. Dominic Chavez Tech. Sgt. Steven Clark Senior Airman Brett Collins Staff Sgt. Richard Colon Airman 1st Class Joshua Corle Airman 1st Class James Cortelyou 1st Lt. Eric Cranford Airman Jordan Cummings Staff Sgt. Dustin Curlee Airman 1st Class Tyler Davidson Master Sgt. Jeremiah Dinan Airman Genesea Dixon Airman 1st Class Katy Dockery Staff Sgt. Sarah Donovan Senior Airman Beatriz Duran Staff Sgt. Anthony Emerson Staff Sgt. Richelle Flores Master Sgt. Craig Foust Maj. Marilyn Garcia 2nd Lt. Amber Gasparetto Tech. Sgt. Kezia Green Airman 1st Class Stacey Guzak Airman 1st Class Tyler Harkness Tech. Sgt. Ruby Hart Staff Sgt. Freddie Henderson Master Sgt. Brenda Hudson Senior Airman Marcieann Irizarry Senior Airman Megan Jamison Airman 1st Class Sherry Janousek Staff Sgt. Jason Jenkins Tech. Sgt. Jason John Airman 1st Class Gabriel Jovellar Airman 1st Class Jason Kelts Staff Sgt. Amanda Khan Capt. Michael Kittrell Senior Airman Michael Landon Capt. Anita Logan Staff Sgt. Carmen Lopez-Torres Airman 1st Class Russell Lowe 1st Lt. Keil Luber Senior Airman Rebeca Martinez Capt. Jessica Mates Master Sgt. George Mathisen Senior Airman Joe McFadden Staff Sgt. Veleka McSween Senior Airman Amanda Mills-Saur Airman 1st Class Jarrell Morgan Staff Sgt. John Ryan Mutuc Airman 1st Class Brian Namniek Tech. Sgt. Matthew Nece Airman Cleophas Newton Airman 1st Class Benjamen Nienhouse Senior Master Sgt. Sharon O'Connor Airman 1st Class Michael Pawlak Airman Erik Pepper Senior Airman Erik Petersen Airman 1st Class Johnathan Pierpoint 1st Lt. Victoria Porto Capt. Marilou Quirk Capt. Matthew Redaja Senior Airman Ariel Reed Airman 1st Class Tabitha Ryals Airman 1st Class Alphonzo Sapp Senior Airman Matthew Sarangay Senior Airman Charles Scarbrough Senior Airman Howard Schilling Airman 1st Class Jae Shin Airman 1st Class Tyler Strickland Maj. Christopher Tooman Airman 1st Class Ryan Torres Staff Sgt. Luis Valencia Staff Sgt. Taylor Vandenboogaard Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Vasquez Airman 1st Class Daniel Vendetta Senior Airman Ayesha Villamor Capt. Todd Walker Airman 1st Class Rachel Whitlatch Senior Airman Samantha Whittle Senior Airman Irvin Williams Senior Airman Winarto Airman 1st Class Daniel Woods Staff Sgt. Karl Yeager Senior Master Sgt. Alan Yoshida Airman 1st Class Michael Zamora 1st Lt. Joanna Zemek The following squadrons each took a shift from June to December 2011 as part of AADD 2.0: 1st Special Operations Group 1st Special Operations Maintenance Group 1st Special Operations Wing Staff Agencies 1st Special Operations Aerospace Medicine Squadron 1st Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron 1st Special Operations Communications Squadron 1st Special Operations Contracting Squadron 1st Special Operations Dental Squadron 1st Special Operations Equipment Maintenance Squadron 1st Special Operations Force Support Squadron 1st Special Operations Logistics Squadron 1st Special Operations Medical Operations Squadron 1st Special Operations Medical Support Squadron 1st Special Operations Support Squadron 1st Special Operations Security Forces Squadron 4th Special Operations Squadron 8th Special Operations Squadron 34th Special Operations Squadron 319th Special Operations Squadron 505th Command and Control Wing 801st Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron 823rd RED HORSE Squadron U.S. Air Force Special Operations School