I got a DUI in the Army in 2010. This was around the time the Army started getting really strict with alcohol related offenses and started issuing dishonorable discharges for people who got them (it had previously been jokes that "all good Sergeant Majors have at least one DUI"). Instead of being separated from the Army I was given a Field Grade Article 15 carrying the punishment of 45 days extra duty/45 days restriction to post/and a reduction in rank and pay.

Prior to receiving my Article 15 I was skating by being the jester of my infantry platoon with my roommate. We were the guys that people wanted to hang out with, drink with, and that included some of our leadership. We were well liked by most people, but neither of us was particularly skilled at our jobs, or cared to be because we thought things would be handed to us.

The 45 days of extra duty was the worst, but also was the silver lining to my DUI. Everyday after work got out all the other soldiers would go back to the barracks, and I would head to our headquarters for another ~7 hours of work. We had to be up everyday at 0530 and we were typically out by 1700, but now I found myself shoveling snow from 1700 until 2359. 42 of the 45 days I was on Extra Duty it snowed, I know because I counted and I had to shovel our battalion headquarters' parking lot, sidewalks, and formation area. It sucked.

The 45 days of Extra Duty taught me hard work and humility. It taught me to not skate by being the funny guy known for partying, but to outwork anyone and everyone else. I found I could literally get off work, go to the gym and study Infantry tactics for awhile and still be done 4 hours before I would have been done with Extra Duty. Once I made hard work my calling card I progressed in rank from PVT to SSG in a period of 56 months which is pretty fast tracking for someone with no Ranger tab or SF qualification.

I still claim getting that DUI is the best thing to ever happen to me.