--- title: "Bah humbug: Air Force unit in Turkey barred from drinking booze" description: "The commander of the 39th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Incirlik Air Force Base has barred alcohol consumption following a string of recent drinking-related incidents which \"demonstrated how alcohol use can have a direct impact on our unit's ability to support U.S. service members,\" according to a memo sent to 39th LRS airmen" date: "2019-12-19" modified: "2019-12-19" authors: - name: "David Roza" job_title: "YouTube Writer/Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/david-roza.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/air-force-turkey-alcohol-ban/" categories: - "Air Force" - "Around the World" - "Europe" - "Military Branches" - "News" tags: - "European Command" --- # Bah humbug: Air Force unit in Turkey barred from drinking booze ![]() Some airmen in Turkey are staring down a very dry Christmas this year. The commander of the 39th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Incirlik Air Force Base has barred alcohol consumption following a string of recent drinking-related incidents which "demonstrated how alcohol use can have a direct impact on our unit's ability to support U.S. service members," according to a memo sent to 39th LRS airmen The alcohol ban went into effect Wednesday and will remain so until further notice, wrote Maj. June Chung in the memo, which [first appeared]() on the popular Air Force amn/nco/snco Facebook page. "Due to this decrease in mission readiness coupled with current tensions in the region, the option to consume alcohol is a privilege which can no longer be provided at this time," wrote Chung. While Chung plans on reevaluating the policy on Jan. 4, 2020, this means that the airmen of the 39th LRS will likely have to ring in the New Year with ginger ale rather than champagne. To be fair, it looks like 39th LRS airmen could use a break from the bottle: Chung's memo included of photo of a vehicle incident in which one of the squadron's airmen purportedly got drunk, got behind the wheel of a red sedan, hopped a curb, blew out the airbags, and fled on foot back to his dormitory before security arrived, [according]() to Air Force amn/nco/snco. Although the the Air Force did not immediately confirm the particulars of the incident that led to the ban, 39th Air Base Wing spokeswoman 1st Lt. Kaila Bryant [confirmed]() to Air Force Times that the drinking restriction was limited only to 39th LRS. "Never get a rental in Incirlik," wrote one commenter on the Air Force amn/nco/snco Facebook page. "Always easier to hide your DUI crash when driving a scooter." ## Author David Roza writes scripts about military news for the Task & Purpose YouTube channel, and he also writes articles about military pay, benefits, health care, child care, culture, and other personnel topics on a freelance basis. Roza previously covered the Air Force and Space Force for Task & Purpose from 2019 to 2023 and for Air & Space Forces Magazine from 2023 to 2025. In the course of that reporting, he has set off a ‘Hollywood explosion’ with Air Force bomb techs, turned the (unarmed) keys of a nuclear missile bunker, hovered over the Nevada desert on an Air Force rescue helicopter, and got the best sleep of his life on the floor of a C-17 over the central Pacific. Share tips and story ideas with David at [david.roza@teamrecurrent.io]()