Drunk driving spree results in conviction and confinement Published Nov. 2, 2010 By Office of the Staff Judge Advocate SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- No one in the Air Force should need a reminder that drinking and driving has severe consequences. From airmen against drunk driving to safety briefings, we are constantly bombarded by anti-drinking and driving campaigns. The majority of us take the Air Force's warnings to heart and develop a plan for how to get home after having a few drinks. Unfortunately, there are those who must learn the hard way. Senior Airman JonMichael Schwartz, 52nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, will have the next three months in jail to contemplate his mistakes. You too can learn from his life's lesson. On Sept. 9 Airman Schwartz was convicted of drunk driving, making a false official statement and fleeing the scene of several accidents. Despite his wingman's offer for a place to sleep, Airman Schwartz got in his car and drove through three villages leaving a path of destruction in his wake. He had been drinking with friends starting the prior afternoon until about 5:30 a.m. in the morning. His friends made arrangements for him to stay the night at their house after they all took a cab home from the bar, but Airman Schwartz refused. During his brief drive home he struck five cars causing more than $15,000 in damages. At trial, Airman Schwartz was convicted and sentenced to three months of confinement in a military jail, three months of hard labor and two months restriction to base. He was also reduced in grade to E-2, ordered to forfeit $500 a month for six months, and received a reprimand. That means it will be about a year from now that Airman Schwartz will complete his court-martial sentence. More importantly, he will have a court-martial conviction for driving while intoxicated on his record for the rest of his life -- a conviction that will have lifelong effects. You may think this will never happen to you either because you think you can handle your alcohol or because you won't get caught. But think for just a moment, what if it did? No one ever thinks something like this will happen to them, but it does. Airman Schwartz made the wrong decision. There are many ways to avoid driving drunk. You always have the choice to be responsible. Don't risk your life and the lives of those around you. If you have had anything to drink, think about Airman Schwartz. Then ask yourself, is it worth it to risk my life, the lives of others and my military career. If you decide to assume the risk, you have made the wrong choice.