Second Fleet Sailors Walk to Combat Drunk Driving, Underage Drinking

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW/AW) Rafael Martie, Commander, U.S. Second Fleet Public Affairs

Virginia Beach, Va. (NNS) -- Sailors assigned to Commander, U.S. Second Fleet (C2F) participated in the 'Walk Like MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving)' event April 16 to raise awareness of driving under the influence (DUI) and underage drinking.

'Walk Like MADD' a 5K walking event, is MADD's signature walking event.

The C2F team contributed more than $500 while demonstrating that the Navy cares about the safety of its community and the importance of showing others that it is not ok to drink and drive.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 10,839 people will die in drunk-driving crashes this year; that is one every 50 minutes. Virginia Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) latest data notes that the state had 316 fatal alcohol related crashes, 6,256 people were injured in alcohol related accidents, and 31,434 were convicted of DUI.

"The DMV statistics are scary when it comes to how many were convicted, and that means there are [probably] thousands more that are not caught," said Master-At-Arms (SW/AW) Jeremy Centeno Second Fleet Walk Like MADD team captain. "I worry for my Sailors who work the mid-shift and go home during those last call hours where there are too many drivers under the influence on the road."

"We hold various safety events within our own command regarding alcohol awareness to educate our Sailors," said Legalman First Class (SW) Patrice Washington. "C2F's Chiefs' Mess sponsors free ride cards to all the Sailors at the command in the event they are in a situation where they need a free ride home with no questions asked."

The Sailors who participated were pleased with how the event turned out and will pass along the knowledge they learned from the walk to the command.

"We got some great information out of this event that we can incorporate in our training and pass it along to our Sailors back at C2F," said Intelligence Specialist First Class (SW/AW) Tiffany Johnson. "I also have a family of my own that I worry for because I never realized just how many convictions there were in the state and just how many dangerous drivers under the influence are on the road as we speak."

C2F Staff Command Master Chief Information Systems Technician (SW/AW) Yvonne Kitchen was pleased with C2F participation at the event and how well everyone worked on the team to achieve their goals for the walk.

"I am proud of my Sailors at C2F for taking a little time out of their hard earned weekend to come out and educate our community regarding drunk driving and the impact it has on the command and military as a whole," said Kitchen. "I find it outstanding that our Sailors continue to demonstrate unity within our command as well as with our civilian counterparts and that they do understand the importance of giving back."