Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Chicago Tribune
August 5, 2007
Pg. 3
To curb drunken driving, Ft. Stewart officials give soldiers a place to party on base
By Dahleen Glanton, Tribune national correspondent
FT. STEWART, Ga. -- It is Saturday night at Rocky's nightclub. DJs are blasting music, and the lounge is packed with people shooting pool, playing video games and drinking $3 cocktails.
On the dance floor, soldiers -- many of them days away from deploying to Iraq -- move to the sounds of hip-hop artists like T.I., Soulja Boy and Beyonce.
Cars are bumper to bumper on their way to the club, and the line to get inside extends around the building. This is the hippest spot around this rural area about 45 minutes southwest of Savannah, and it's no accident that it's on an Army base.
To address a growing concern about drunken driving among soldiers, commanders at Ft. Stewart spent $300,000 last year to convert an old sports bar into a thriving nightclub, where soldiers could party all night with civilians and drink as much as they like without having to get into a car and drive afterward.
"It's a great place to relax and unwind," said Spec. John Davis, 26, a Chicago resident who will head to Iraq in a few weeks. In Iraq, "alcohol is not something you want to make your best friend, so this is a good place for soldiers to come."
Since the war began, the Army has seen a nationwide increase in traffic deaths. In fiscal 2005, 141 soldiers died in non-military related traffic accidents, a 50 percent increase over fiscal 2001. Since October 2002, at least 591 soldiers have died in non-military-related traffic accidents. Alcohol was a factor in at least 80, officials said.
Rise in heavy drinking in Army
Though heavy drinking in the Navy and Air Force declined since 1980, the Army saw an increase in soldiers who consume five or more drinks on one occasion. According to a recent health survey by the Department of Defense, heavy drinking in the Army rose 30 percent from 2002 to 2005. The report said the numbers could signal "a pattern of increasing heavy alcohol use in the Army."
Lynn Pahland, director of health promotion policy for the Pentagon, said officials there are analyzing data to determine whether there is something specific to the military or deployment that affects alcohol abuse.
"We do have a problem with alcohol abuse, especially with the younger ages," Pahland said. "We are doing everything we can to provide a culture ... that will help people make healthy lifestyle choices."
At Ft. Stewart, home to 19,000 3rd Infantry Division soldiers, officials said alcohol played a part in at least half of the 13 fatal accidents there in fiscal 2006. There also have been other serious alcohol-related incidents.
In April, the body of Spec. Robert Hornbeck, 23, a 3rd Infantry Division soldier based at Ft. Benning, Ga., was found inside a hotel air conditioner in Savannah. Authorities said the soldier, who had returned from Iraq in January, was intoxicated when he climbed into the unit and was struck by fan blades.
In another high-profile case, three Iraq veterans from the 3rd Infantry Division were convicted of murder in the 2003 death of Spec. Richard Davis, who was stabbed and set on fire after drinking at clubs.
Officials said Rocky's has helped curb the number of accidents while giving soldiers an atmosphere where they can relax before deployment.
"The No. 1 killer of soldiers [outside the war zone] is privately owned vehicles," said Jimmy McCullough, installation safety director at Ft. Stewart. "When we lose a soldier, it is catastrophic."
Rocky's has become particularly popular with younger soldiers. No uniforms are required here. It is one of the few places where soldiers in their late teens and early 20s can wear baggy pants, oversize T-shirts and athletic shoes. Except for the military haircut, they blend in with the civilians.
"Their jobs are the military but they want to have fun like normal people," said Julie Cortina, general manager of Rocky's and other clubs at Ft. Stewart.
For soldiers like Pfc. Brent Sciulli, 22, the club has been a reprieve from the rigorous training since he arrived at the base in early July. He said he enlisted in February, and in three weeks he will leave for Iraq to join the 1st Brigade.
"When we got here, the commander said we should stay on base and do our partying," said Sciulli, of Tampa.
'Feeling a little out of touch'
The nightclub provides an outlet for the spouses of deployed soldiers as well, but some are uneasy about the large number of civilians.
"It's bringing in more people that I'm a little nervous about," said Nancy McKinney, 35, who celebrated her wedding anniversary at the club with friends. "They are getting young and younger, and I am feeling a little out of touch."
Her husband, Lt. Everett McKinney, is a 10-year active Army veteran and has been in Iraq since January.
"I was feeling down, and my friends said, 'Let's get out,'" Nancy McKinney said. "I'm not here to do anything to make my husband look bad. I see why a lot of women don't come out. I see people doing things they shouldn't be, but I guess they're just stressed."
While military installations across the country have initiatives to combat drunken driving, few have been able to operate a successful nightclub, officials said. With the entire 3rd Infantry Division to be deployed by the end of the year, Cortina said, she will be challenged to keep up the pace at Rocky's.
In the meantime, officials are pleased with the progress at Ft. Stewart.
Between Sept. 24, 2006, and April 22, 2007, Ft. Stewart went 210 days without a fatal accident. Recently, the post marked 88 days. That streak ended July 20 when a soldier died in a motorcycle crash.
Ft. Stewart had a rash of accidents in 2006 when soldiers returned from Iraq, McCullough said. The Army was in transition, he said, as Ft. Stewart underwent a complete command change. When Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch arrived, he established new safety initiatives that included Rocky's, which opened in November 2006.
"We've got soldiers who are risking their lives every day in Iraq or Afghanistan, and when they come here, they are feeling ... things are more settled," McCullough said.
"But at the same time, there needs to be some decompression to go back to being normal. When you are out there with your adrenaline up every day, it's hard to come back here and be normal."
August 5, 2007
Pg. 3
To curb drunken driving, Ft. Stewart officials give soldiers a place to party on base
By Dahleen Glanton, Tribune national correspondent
FT. STEWART, Ga. -- It is Saturday night at Rocky's nightclub. DJs are blasting music, and the lounge is packed with people shooting pool, playing video games and drinking $3 cocktails.
On the dance floor, soldiers -- many of them days away from deploying to Iraq -- move to the sounds of hip-hop artists like T.I., Soulja Boy and Beyonce.
Cars are bumper to bumper on their way to the club, and the line to get inside extends around the building. This is the hippest spot around this rural area about 45 minutes southwest of Savannah, and it's no accident that it's on an Army base.
To address a growing concern about drunken driving among soldiers, commanders at Ft. Stewart spent $300,000 last year to convert an old sports bar into a thriving nightclub, where soldiers could party all night with civilians and drink as much as they like without having to get into a car and drive afterward.
"It's a great place to relax and unwind," said Spec. John Davis, 26, a Chicago resident who will head to Iraq in a few weeks. In Iraq, "alcohol is not something you want to make your best friend, so this is a good place for soldiers to come."
Since the war began, the Army has seen a nationwide increase in traffic deaths. In fiscal 2005, 141 soldiers died in non-military related traffic accidents, a 50 percent increase over fiscal 2001. Since October 2002, at least 591 soldiers have died in non-military-related traffic accidents. Alcohol was a factor in at least 80, officials said.
Rise in heavy drinking in Army
Though heavy drinking in the Navy and Air Force declined since 1980, the Army saw an increase in soldiers who consume five or more drinks on one occasion. According to a recent health survey by the Department of Defense, heavy drinking in the Army rose 30 percent from 2002 to 2005. The report said the numbers could signal "a pattern of increasing heavy alcohol use in the Army."
Lynn Pahland, director of health promotion policy for the Pentagon, said officials there are analyzing data to determine whether there is something specific to the military or deployment that affects alcohol abuse.
"We do have a problem with alcohol abuse, especially with the younger ages," Pahland said. "We are doing everything we can to provide a culture ... that will help people make healthy lifestyle choices."
At Ft. Stewart, home to 19,000 3rd Infantry Division soldiers, officials said alcohol played a part in at least half of the 13 fatal accidents there in fiscal 2006. There also have been other serious alcohol-related incidents.
In April, the body of Spec. Robert Hornbeck, 23, a 3rd Infantry Division soldier based at Ft. Benning, Ga., was found inside a hotel air conditioner in Savannah. Authorities said the soldier, who had returned from Iraq in January, was intoxicated when he climbed into the unit and was struck by fan blades.
In another high-profile case, three Iraq veterans from the 3rd Infantry Division were convicted of murder in the 2003 death of Spec. Richard Davis, who was stabbed and set on fire after drinking at clubs.
Officials said Rocky's has helped curb the number of accidents while giving soldiers an atmosphere where they can relax before deployment.
"The No. 1 killer of soldiers [outside the war zone] is privately owned vehicles," said Jimmy McCullough, installation safety director at Ft. Stewart. "When we lose a soldier, it is catastrophic."
Rocky's has become particularly popular with younger soldiers. No uniforms are required here. It is one of the few places where soldiers in their late teens and early 20s can wear baggy pants, oversize T-shirts and athletic shoes. Except for the military haircut, they blend in with the civilians.
"Their jobs are the military but they want to have fun like normal people," said Julie Cortina, general manager of Rocky's and other clubs at Ft. Stewart.
For soldiers like Pfc. Brent Sciulli, 22, the club has been a reprieve from the rigorous training since he arrived at the base in early July. He said he enlisted in February, and in three weeks he will leave for Iraq to join the 1st Brigade.
"When we got here, the commander said we should stay on base and do our partying," said Sciulli, of Tampa.
'Feeling a little out of touch'
The nightclub provides an outlet for the spouses of deployed soldiers as well, but some are uneasy about the large number of civilians.
"It's bringing in more people that I'm a little nervous about," said Nancy McKinney, 35, who celebrated her wedding anniversary at the club with friends. "They are getting young and younger, and I am feeling a little out of touch."
Her husband, Lt. Everett McKinney, is a 10-year active Army veteran and has been in Iraq since January.
"I was feeling down, and my friends said, 'Let's get out,'" Nancy McKinney said. "I'm not here to do anything to make my husband look bad. I see why a lot of women don't come out. I see people doing things they shouldn't be, but I guess they're just stressed."
While military installations across the country have initiatives to combat drunken driving, few have been able to operate a successful nightclub, officials said. With the entire 3rd Infantry Division to be deployed by the end of the year, Cortina said, she will be challenged to keep up the pace at Rocky's.
In the meantime, officials are pleased with the progress at Ft. Stewart.
Between Sept. 24, 2006, and April 22, 2007, Ft. Stewart went 210 days without a fatal accident. Recently, the post marked 88 days. That streak ended July 20 when a soldier died in a motorcycle crash.
Ft. Stewart had a rash of accidents in 2006 when soldiers returned from Iraq, McCullough said. The Army was in transition, he said, as Ft. Stewart underwent a complete command change. When Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch arrived, he established new safety initiatives that included Rocky's, which opened in November 2006.
"We've got soldiers who are risking their lives every day in Iraq or Afghanistan, and when they come here, they are feeling ... things are more settled," McCullough said.
"But at the same time, there needs to be some decompression to go back to being normal. When you are out there with your adrenaline up every day, it's hard to come back here and be normal."