Building A Culture of Responsible Choices

  • Published
  • By Capt Richard Milton
  • 71st Flying Training Wing, chief of military equal opportunity
Vance Air Force Base, Okla. --  Through personal experiences, many of us have seen that the end result of making irresponsible decisions can be very negative. During the recent wingman day, Col. Richard Klumpp, Jr., 71st Flying Training Wing commander, spoke on the importance of building a Culture of Responsible Choices or CoRC for short.

The intent is to use the CoRC program in partnership with the wingman concept to make a cultural shift from 'work hard, play hard' to 'work hard, play smart'. CoRC is a cousin to a successful program at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo. called "0-0-1-3." That stands for "zero underage drinking, zero driving under the influence, one drink an hour, and never more than three drinks at an event."

While the 0-0-1-3 model provides a guideline for responsible drinking, it also provides a guideline for how to make responsible decisions while drinking through advocating moderation. The model does not say, "do not drink," but instead says, "if you drink, do it responsibly."

Often times scenarios can play out like a line of 100 dominoes falling. Left unchecked, after the first domino falls 99 others will fall right behind it. If that first domino is a result of a bad decision or bad scenario, then more than likely the other 99 will result in a scenario that ends with negative consequences.

The aim of the CoRC program is to stop the process at the first domino or even the third domino, by emphasizing the importance of making responsible choices. Ultimately, if a link in the chain of irresponsible decisions can be broken maybe the negative outcome can be avoided.

For example, at the end of a party where alcohol was involved, the person drinking can either get a ride home, take a taxi or other alternative transportation or they can drive themselves. Well, if the individual chooses to drive themselves they have already pushed the first domino down and the rest are falling quickly. The next domino could involve a DUI or a wreck causing injury or death to the driver or someone else. The next domino could involve disciplinary action, ruining a career or prison time depending on the incident.

The importance of making right and responsible decisions is a subject that cannot be overemphasized. Part of making the right decision is making responsible choices. Hopefully, the end result of a situation where responsible choices are made is positive.