I got a DUI this weekend. What can I expect and what can I do to get through this?

It MAY be hopeless but I would suggest you get a lawyer who is familiar with the DUI thing. If you got it off base you may be able to fight it depending on its severity. If you got it on base, your ass is grass soldier. Amazing just how bad this has become since I was in during Viet-nam. Half the NCO corps would NOT have made it to Nam for their second and third deployments if they had been as strict as they are now. I have two sons who as Company grade officers often were woken in the middle of the night to bail out their soldiers at Drum and Little Rock AFB. They repeatedly went to bat for them if it was a first offense. Hopefully your record is good and you have a good CO. Personally I look at it this way, "there but for the grace of God go I". Been there, done it, not proud, wasn't dangerous, should have been caught because both times I remember driving back home at about 15 MPH with the windows open in the winter.

What you did was a terrible, terrible thing that could have ended terribly. You were lucky. With that being said, what happens now depends on your command. I will say, as an MP, I have seen a lot of shady deals. I knew senior NCOs (think MSG and above) and officers get away with things that would get someone an Art 15 or worse. It all depends if your CoC is willing to help. But with you just being a SSG, I am thinking they won't help you. It won't benefit them. Plan on being kicked out. I hope you get an honorable and keep your benefits.

Also, depends on who busted you. Civilian police is better for active duty, you'll still pay major fines, high lawyer fees and possible loss of driver's license, but, unit CO will determine what punishment you get from the Army , if any. If MP's got you, it will be handled through the Army, which means loss of pay, possible loss of rank, slower promotions, and possibly a court martial, depending if you got into an accident if someone was hurt. Either way it's gonna cost you big time, as a former MP we were told to have no sympathy for drunk drivers, no matter the situation. Hope it works out for you, and even more, hope you learned a valuable lesson.

See a JAG Officer

The best course is to seek treatment and be honest with yourself and others about the seriousness of the offense. Drunk driving is a serious and deadly problem. When I was younger I did it and was fortunate enough to have never had an accident or been caught, but that was pure dumb luck. Maturity brought better sense to me and I would never consider driving while impaired now. The sad thing is that many people just like me acting just as I did were not so lucky. People may have died as a result, including the intoxicated drivers--incidentally. It was a mistake. You can learn from it. I wish you the best and pray for better judgement in the future.

As an NCO you made a poor decision and that’s what you need to own up to. You may get a reduction in rank, Generals letter of reprimand, Article 15, or even chartered out. But what I would do is own up to your poor decision and let you military career speak for you.
Good luck

Brother, they have things called aadd airman against drunk driving a while back I had to call aadd to get a ride home and my cc. Told me that was good choice however driving drunk is a bad thing man. I would always call an uber or lift, yeah leaving your car behind is super inconvenient but at least you know you would get a dui. I would consult legal advice and see what they can do for you

Get a lawyer. If the DUI happen off post find a lawyer who handles DUI’s. If it happened on post find one familiar with military law. How the command deals w/ you will depend a lot on the kind of soldier you have been before the DUI. You will receive some type of UCMJ punishment and you will not be selected for promotion. You will be required to attend drug and alcohol counseling. The best you can hope for is keeping your current rank and being allowed to retire after 20 years of service.

First thing you need to do Monday morning is go self refer to SUDCC (formerly known as ASAP). It looks better to your command if you refer yourself. Second expect the GOMOR but find someone who has got through one successfully. I did a few years ago. You need a hell of a rebuttal and having one already formatted that you can just edit makes it a lot easier. Third, be prepared for the worst. If you have medical conditions that meet MEB criteria start getting that ironed out and ready. Unfortunately the army isn't in need of soldiers like it used to be and DUIs are easy ways to get people out. Just make sure when you're talking to legal and you command you're protecting that honorable discharge. If command gives you the option to get out honorably or fight and maybe not take the honorable discharge. It sucks that one bad decision can end something you've worked so hard for but hopefully you learn from it and do better when faced with a choice like that again in the future.

Based on my understanding on how things work is this. If it happened off post then 99.999999% of the time the military will defer to the local authorities and judicial system. The military can only get you with conduct unbecoming a Noncomissioned Officer. They can’t hit you with double jeopardy. But your chain of command can still remove you from your leadership position, give you a relief of cause NCOER, flag and bar you. You will still have to report the incident to your security manager. It will be up to them and their process to determine if you lose your clearance.

Now that being said, IF you got this on a government installation punishment can rage from a local counseling statement, which is a formal slap on the wrist and vigorous finger pointing, to jail time under the UCMJ.

Regardless, your carrier in the military will probably come to an end. Your best bet is to get a civilian lawyer as that is what JAG will tell you and be ready to accept responsibility for your actions.

You’re just lucky you did not kill somebody with this conscience decision you made.