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JBSA News
NEWS | Feb. 15, 2008

'That Guy' to appear on base for limited engagement

Airmen actors from Pope Air Force Base, N.C., will be here Feb. 24 and 25, performing 50-minute skits about "That Guy."

"That Guy" is a Department of Defense campaign designed to discourage binge drinking among young servicemembers.

The skits are open to all of Team Lackland and mandatory for all Airmen, officers and enlisted, ages 18 to 24 years old.

The team will perform seven presentations at the Bob Hope Theater in the format of a late-night talk show.

The Feb. 24 performances, mandatory for technical school students, are scheduled for 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The Feb. 25 performances are scheduled for 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Creating the skit was a three-month, self-motivated project invented and designed by Senior Airman Monise Butler, 43rd Aeromedical Dental Squadron, Pope AFB.

"I got the idea several months ago when I attended a commander's call here," said Airman Butler. "It seemed in the weeks after the commander's call, the message and campaign were not catching on with the Airmen."

Since the commander's call anti-binge-drinking campaign wasn't having an immediate impact on others in the way it did on her, Airman Butler decided to take it a step further.

"I thought if I wrote a play to promote the campaign and safe drinking habits, I could further the message," she said.

Months later, she transformed her initial thoughts into a 90-minute parody featuring four Airmen as actors and a back-stage crew filled with communication-squadron Airmen.

"Through the educational entertainment the Pope team is bringing with them, I hope all the Airmen will realize that underage drinking and binge drinking are detrimental to their health and their careers," said Col. Len Patrick, 37th Training Wing commander.

According to statistics from the local Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment program, more than 30 Airmen were referred to the ADAPT program for underage drinking instances last quarter, a 30 percent increase from the same time in 2006.

"We need to get this under control," Colonel Patrick said. "We are representing the mightiest air and space power on earth, and we need to know our Airmen are making choices that won't hamper their effectiveness at home or negatively impact the success of our many missions abroad. We need to show them how to make good choices."

(Courtesy of Air Force Link)