Will a DUI end my career?

Everyone makes mistakes, the key is to learn from them and never make the same mistake twice!!
Your not the only one to get jammed up with a DUI, I know of at least a couple General Officers that I know of who got DUI's while in command (as a General Officer)!! One of which still made it to 4 stars!! So the saying goes, it's not what you know but who you know (or who you are) and how much money you have! Go Get yourself a good Lawyer and have them look up case law on how many GO's have received DUI's and still kept their careers and their retirements! Make them prove everything, and remember your innocent until proven guilty...unless of course you were just blatantly slobbering drunk! But even then you can still plea bargain it down to a lesser charge! If a Murderer can plea bargain 1st degree murder down to manslaughter, you can get your DUI down graded and possibly even dropped. So go get a good lawyer and fight it like hell!!

From my 30 years of military service, an Alcohol Incident "DUI" is not Good. Not at all. But it's not the end of a career either. A lot of conclusions will be addressed. Loss of rank. Loss of Security Clearance. Loss of opportunity to advance. What you need to do, as of today, is to be the best Soldier you can be and to get your shit together.

No. In fact you cant make SMG, CSM, CW5 or an O5 without a DUI on your record.

The USAF policy, when I was in the AF reserves as a security policeman, doing my “time” at Holloman AFB, NM was discharge. Enlisted were discharged, officers were asked to resign. Either way the career was over.

How did you get a DUI??? Actually, it doesn't matter. This could be a career show stopper. As an E7 it would be.

I'll give you 2 events that should give you an idea how self centered and narcissistc i believe you are.
1. In 1981, a SSgt USMC got a DUI on the evening before he was to be promoted to GNYSGT. The CO shredded his promotion warrent in front of him and promotion was denied. Rank reduced to Sgt and he never saw SSgt again. He also did not get the option of staying for 20 and retirement.

2. My brother just got out of prison for killing a Marine while DUI. A life lost, his family has to live without him, my brother now a felon and spent years in prison. All because he is/was a selfish SOB. It was not his first time getting caught DUI.

Your driving after drinking shows exactly why you should never be given responsibility for leading men. You are unworthy.

My understanding is that things are tougher now.

Start working on your resume, you'll need it once your discharged.
What were you thinking?

It's detrimental, but not something you can't overcome. I speak from personal experience in that I made PO2 the 1st time up, BOTH times, for something similarly stupid.

With this, you are not set for anything but release form active duty and a possible less than honorable discharge. Beginning treatment and finding a 12 steps program is your best way forward.

Hire the best DUI Lawyer you can afford. This can be a career killer. Negotiate it down if possible and save your career.