FORT DRUM — Maj. Gen. Michael L. Oates, commander of the 10th Mountain Division, is frustrated with soldiers being charged with driving while intoxicated and hopes publicizing their arrests will be a deterrent to others.
Thursday's edition of the Fort Drum Blizzard, which is printed by the Watertown Daily Times, will feature photographs of the 45 soldiers who have been charged with DWI since Jan. 1, starting on the front page.
"The public image and reality of 10th Mountain soldiers is that they are disciplined and honorable men and women," Gen. Oates stated in a press release Tuesday. "I am concerned about the rise in misconduct associated with substance abuse in the division over the last 90 days because it is not consistent with the Mountain soldiers I know and respect."
Fort Drum media relations officer Benjamin E. Abel said printing the names and photographs of soldiers charged with DWIs will become a regular feature in the paper, although not on the front page.
The publication of names is not intended to "degrade or humiliate" the soldiers listed, and it is not a form of punishment, he added.
Mr. Abel said Fort Drum does punish soldiers charged with a DWI by immediately suspending their on-post driving privileges, usually for a year. He said the loss of driving privileges is not contingent upon a conviction.
"That's a very, very painful thing to have to go through," Mr. Abel said.
Commanding officers frequently remind soldiers about the dangers of driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, but the problem has continued, he said.
"For some reason, it just wasn't registering, apparently," Mr. Abel said.
He was unable to cite any specific research indicating the number of DWI arrests among 10th Mountain Division soldiers was rising, but said Gen. Oates found the current level "unacceptable."
"It was his initiative," Mr. Abel said.
Gen. Oates also said in the press release he wants soldiers who are law-abiding citizens to be a positive influence on others.
"I hope to inspire the vast majority of disciplined soldiers to encourage the rest to live the Army values," he said.
