One Star General David C. Uhrich, kept a vodka bottle in his desk at all times at Joint Base Langley-Eustis and repeatedly “drank on duty”, according to the Washington Post.
David C. Uhrich, a one-star Air Force General, reportedly kept “a vodka bottle” in his desk at Joint Base Langley-Eustis and repeatedly drank on duty, so much so that another officer told investigators that “if he did not have his alcohol, the wheels would come off,” according to the findings of an Air Force probe.
Alcohol directly affects brain chemistry by altering levels of neurotransmitters — the chemical messengers that transmit the signals throughout the body that control thought processes, behavior and emotion. Alcohol affects both “excitatory” neurotransmitters and “inhibitory” neurotransmitters. It directly impairs judgment and decision making skills.
The married Air Force one star later “sought treatment for a drinking problem, but not before he was also investigated for allegedly having an affair, something prohibited under military law”.
Maj. [Redacted] further related in his testimony that during Jan — Apr 12 timeframe, he smelled alcohol onthe general’s breath, on multiple occasions found a bottle of vodka underneath the general’s desk (various levels in the bottle, various kinds of vodka), and even tasted alcohol in the plastic cup on the general’s desk during the duty day. While working with Brig Gen Uhrich, Maj [Redacted] noticed signs of intoxication, to include slurred speech, blood shot eyes, and lack of overall coordination. …” (source: Excerpts from military misconduct investigations: Roberts, Schweitzer, Uhrichhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/excerpts-from-military-misconduct-investigations-roberts-schweitzer-uhrich/2014/01/26/92518d54-8638-11e3-b85b-b305db87fb90_story.html
See also article: Military brass, behaving badly: Files detail a spate of misconduct dogging armed forces” http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/military-brass-behaving-badly-files-detail-a-spate-of-misconduct-dogging-armed-forces/2014/01/26/4d06c770-843d-11e3-bbe5-6a2a3141e3a9_story.html).
Joint Base Langley–Eustis (IATA: LFI, ICAO: KLFI, FAA LID: LFI) is a United States military facility located adjacent to Hampton and Newport News, Virginia. The base is an amalgamation of the United States Air Force’s Langley Air Force Base and the United States Army’s Fort Eustis which were merged on 1 October 2010.
Brig. Gen. David C. Uhrich is the Director of Communications, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. He is the functional leader for 9,300 Combat Air Force communications professionals, providing information technology services to 79,000 active-duty military and civilian members at 40 major installations in the United States and overseas. General Uhrich directs the activities of 40 Reserve communications units upon their activation. He is responsible for communications policy guidance, program management and resource allocation supporting the command’s mission to provide nuclear forces for U.S. Strategic Command, theater air forces for the U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Central Command, U.S. Southern Command, U.S. European Command and U.S. Pacific Command, as well as air defense forces for the North American Aerospace Defense Command.
General Uhrich received his commission as a distinguished military graduate from Auburn University’s Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program in 1985. He has held a variety of space, acquisition, and tactical and fixed communications positions, and he served in staff assignments with Air Combat Command and the Joint Staff. The general commanded a communications squadron and network operations group. Prior to his current assignment, he was Director, Command, Control, Communications and Computer Systems, U.S. Joint Forces Command, Norfolk, Va.
EDUCATION
1985 Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.
1991 Distinguished graduate, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala.,
1993 Master of Science degree in management, National-Louis University, McLean, Va.
1994 Distinguished graduate, Advanced Communications Officer Training, Keesler AFB, Miss.
1996 Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
2001 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2006 Joint Professional Military Education Phase II, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
2011 Air Force Enterprise Leadership Program, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
ASSIGNMENTS
1. November 1985 – November 1986, student, various technical training
2. November 1986 – March 1989, computer systems analyst, 1st Information Systems Group, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
3. March 1989 – September 1989, communication staff officer, Joint Task Force – Bravo, Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras
4. September 1989 – April 1993, Chief, Readiness Division, then Chief, National Military Command Center Communications Maintenance Division, 7th Communications Group, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
5. April 1993 – June 1995, Chief, Systems Engineering, 3rd Combat Communications Support Squadron, then Commander, Network Systems Flight, 32nd Combat Communications Squadron, Tinker AFB, Okla.
6. June 1995 – June 1996, student, Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
7. July 1996 – July 1998, Commander, 100th Communications Squadron, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England
8. July 1998 – July 2000, Chief, Network Plans Branch, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Langley AFB, Va.
9. July 2000 – June 2001, student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
10. July 2001 – May 2004, action officer; executive assistant to the Vice Director; and executive officer to the Director, Command, Control, Communications and Computer Systems (J6), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
11. June 2004 – July 2006, Commander, 50th Network Operations Group, Schriever AFB, Colo.
12. July 2006 – September 2006, student, Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
13. September 2006 – April 2008, Chief, MILSATCOM Operations Support and Sustainment Division, then Vice Commander, MILSATCOM Systems Wing, Los Angeles AFB, Calif.
14. April 2008 – June 2009, Director, C4 Systems, USAFCENT Air Force Forces staff and Combined Air Operations Center, Southwest Asia
15. July 2009 – July 2011, Director, C4 Systems, U.S. Joint Forces Command, Norfolk, Va.
16. July 2011 – present, Director of Communications, Headquarters Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2001 – May 2004, action officer; executive assistant to the Vice Director; and executive officer to the Director, Command, Control, Communications and Computer Systems (J6), Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., as a lieutenant colonel
2. September 2006 – April 2008, Chief, MILSATCOM Operations Support and Sustainment Division, then Vice Commander, MILSATCOM Systems Wing, Los Angeles AFB, Calif., as a colonel
3. July 2009 – July 2011, Director, C4 Systems, U.S. Joint Forces Command, Norfolk, Va., as a colonel and brigadier general
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Joint Service Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Combat Readiness Medal
National Defense Service Medal with bronze star
Southwest Asia Service Medal with bronze star
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Air and Space Campaign Medal
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Government of Kuwait)
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Aug. 25, 1985
First Lieutenant Aug. 25, 1987
Captain Aug. 25, 1989
Major Dec. 1, 1995
Lieutenant Colonel July 1, 1999
Colonel July 1, 2004
Brigadier General April 1, 2011
(Current as of September 2011)