[QUOTE=Deuce130;154198]
Originally Posted by
L'il J.Seinfeld
That's why I was always frustrated when I saw USAF pilots get Art 15s for DUI. Given the same circumstances a civilian could lose his ticket and have a DUI on his record, while the mil pilot gets an Art 15 which doesn't mean anything outside of the military. QUOTE]
So what if it gets handled administratively? It's not like the WG/CC is overly concerned with the guy's civilian prospects. Or concerned at all. His focus is on good order and discipline inside the military and he shouldn't care about how it'll play at an airline interview. Same goes for comparing military pilots to civilian pilots. There's no "ticket" for the leadership to worry about. "Sorry, Capt, but since Joe Schmoe at the FBO would lose his ticket for this, I'm taking your wings." Although many DUI cases aren't handled very consistently in the military, most punishments I saw fit the crime. Guys got Art 15's when they deserved them, court-martialed when the DUI offense was especially bad. Either way, I can't say I ever got "frustrated" when I saw another pilot get an Art 15 instead of losing his wings. I was usually thankful that noone got hurt and that the pilot in question had some sort of chance of recovering from the DUI. Why would it bother you one way or the other?
I've never heard of anyone in the USAF getting court-martialed for a DUI alone. (Throw in an accident, leaving the scene yes, but not just a DUI alone.) I am glad that commanders can use their discretion. Sounds as if Tarheels commanders wanted to whack him, but not cripple him for the rest of his life. A Court martial would have given him a federal conviction and made him a felon. There are no federal misdemeanors. You'd never get an airline job with a felony on your record--although I'm sure someone at some point has gotten hired somewhere with one.
I would never advocate being evasive in a job interview. But Tarheel was not convicted of a DUI. He should answer truthfully and explain himself. At the same time though he needs to make the interviewer realize that he was not convicted of a DUI and his commanders allowed him to continue his career with his record unscathed.