EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The 96th Test Wing’s Drug Demand Reduction Team received the 34th Annual Secretary of Defense Community Drug Awareness Award as the best DDR office in the U.S. Air Force during a ceremony at the Pentagon recently.
This award, established in 1990, recognizes excellence in substance abuse prevention, education, outreach, and testing.
Eglin’s DDR program received the award for its approach to addressing drug misuse by Airmen due to a variety of factors including the misunderstanding of federal and state marijuana laws and the incorporation of THC in commercial products. The office developed innovative outreach campaigns, tailored briefings, and digital media initiatives to highlight these issues at newcomer’s orientations, local schools, and Team Eglin units with high-risk demographics that resonated with diverse audiences.
The team created youth-focused briefings on the dangers of opioids following a local tragedy, providing more than 100 adolescents with information needed to combat the opioid crisis. The office also collaborated with military agencies to educate more than 250 Airmen on the importance of a drug-free lifestyle and fostered discussions about drug testing and its implications on readiness and used digital platforms to extend their reach by partnering with a local podcast to produce content addressing substance abuse challenges and shared personal recovery stories.
"We believe education is our most powerful tool in reducing demand for drugs," said Michael McClellan, DDR program manager. "This award reflects the collective efforts of our team and the community to prioritize prevention and readiness."
Achieving this level of excellence wasn’t without its hurdles. The DDR team faced significant challenges, the most challenging being a manning shortage that placed additional demands on the remaining team members.
“Our team demonstrated extraordinary resilience in overcoming resource limitations,” McClellan said. “It was our shared commitment to the mission and each other that allowed us to persevere and achieve these results.”
The DDR team plans to expand their outreach through partnerships and enhance their digital campaigns to address emerging drug trends with a focus on prevention, the program aims to remain at the forefront of substance abuse education and deterrence at Eglin.