Sep 28, 2012
On Sept. 27, Capt. Robert Caldwell, the Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) commanding officer thanks the troops at FRCSE Detachment Mayport for ...
MAYPORT, Fla. – Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) recognized Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) Detachment (DET) Mayport for achieving 365 consecutive days without an alcohol-related incident (ARI) during a ceremony at the military facility Sept. 27.
JSO Traffic Officer Theron Golleher presented Airman Jocelyn Thomas and Maintenance Master Chief (AFCM) Kevin Holden, the command’s youngest and oldest Sailors respectively, with a plaque commemorating the record set from Sept. 20, 2011 to Sept. 20, 2012.
“Statistics show that one out of two drivers is impaired on the street,” said Golleher, an 18-year JSO veteran who provided training to the DET in December 2011. “I want to congratulate you individually and as a command. It’s a milestone you can all be proud of.”
Cmdr. Michael Barriere, the officer in charge (OIC), said this was a team effort with each of the nearly 200 DET Sailors contributing to the goal.
“It means more, it’s about people, it’s about Sailors,” he said. “Keep doing exactly what you’ve been doing.”
Capt. Robert Caldwell, the FRCSE commanding officer, said in his 27 years of Naval service he had never seen an activity “reach this milestone until today.”
“My hats off to you,” he said. You take personal responsibility watching out for yourself and for your shipmate. This is about everybody on the road. It’s an expensive mistake. It can kill you or someone you care about.”
In a surprise move at the conclusion of the ceremony, the OIC announced that from a very competitive field of candidates Aviation Maintenance Administrationman 1st Class Jose Zayas was selected as the FRCSE DET 2012 Sailor of the Year.
Senior Chief Logistics Specialist Jack Beardmore and Machinery Repairman 1st Class Vincent Yaich, the unit’s Drug and Alcohol Program advisors, attribute the zero ARI success to continuous training, open lines of communication at all levels, and a genuine concern for the Sailors’ wellbeing.
Yaich said when Sailors check in, they are given a “Club 2000” card that allows Sailors assigned to Mayport and its tenant commands to get a free taxi ride home as an alternative to driving under the influence. If Sailors have a mobile phone, they are instructed to enter the number.
Holden, the outgoing senior enlisted advisor, was one of the driving forces for responsible alcohol use according to Yaich. He said most of the Sailors had heard Holden’s speech so often they could recite it from memory.
“It goes like this, ‘If you know your limit, have one less, if you think you know your limit have two less, if you don’t know your limit, then you have no business drinking alcohol. And if you ever do drink alcohol, you have no business behind the wheel of a car, even if it’s a sip.’”
Holden said he “robbed the alcohol thing” from retired Rear Admiral Mack Gaston, his former boss at Naval Station Great Lakes, Ill. He said Gaston was passionate about the issue.
“With everything Sailors and their families are going through today, they can’t afford an ARI,” he said.
Lt. Cmdr. Joseph Kamara, the assistant OIC, believes committed leadership is the main reason for setting the record. He said publishing the number of days since the last alcohol-related incident in the Plan of the Week “instills a sense of pride in our Sailors, as nobody wants to be that guy or girl who breaks the streak.”
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