KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa — The curfew and ban on alcohol imposed on all airmen stationed on Okinawa last week ended Monday, according to the 18th Wing.
The announcement was published on the base’s official Facebook page at about 11 a.m.
Last Tuesday the base announced that a string of misconduct attributed to alcohol abuse made it necessary to impose a “period of reflection” on all active-duty airmen. The action included restricting all airmen to the base or their off-base homes between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. and banning consumption of alcohol outside the home.
Base clubs and restaurants ceased serving alcohol during the six-day period.
At the time the restrictions were imposed, 18th Wing spokesman Ed Gulick said no single incident sparked the action taken by Brig. Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, the 18th Wing commander. He cited 11 DUIs recorded on Kadena Air Base in the past month.
But one major incident during the period stands out. A 28-year-old Air Force captain was arrested for striking an Okinawa police officer in an alcohol-related incident at the Sunabe Seawall, near the base. He was later fined $3,500.
According to the Facebook announcement, Wilsbach concluded the period of reflection at 9 a.m. Monday.
“I appreciate everyone who took advantage of this time to consider the standards we are expected to live by, and the impact that failure to meet those standards can have on our ability to conduct military operations here on Okinawa,” he said on the Facebook page.
