Take Care of Your Buddy!

 As much as I am sure that we are all tired of reading about all the "problems" our community has with alcohol, recent events just won't let it go away. If you pay attention to the news at all, you are probably aware that a few weeks ago on Friday October 28, the La Crosse police apprehended two college age men near the Mississippi River. Needless to say, both men were heavily intoxicated. While on the one hand, getting picked up by the cops when you are drunk (and these guys were DRUNK) is never fun, but getting a ticket is always a preferable alternative to falling in the river and possibly drowning. So, in a way, this story has a happy ending.

 Nevertheless, these incidents bring up what seems to be a perennial issue here in La Crosse. We do live in a safe city, and it is easy to get careless and think that nothing can happen to you. But the truth is, things can happen to you. It seems that almost every year somebody dies after falling in the river. Indeed, there have been nine such cases since 1997. The exact reasons why this happens are debated. There has always been the serial killer rumor floating around, and though we don't really know, in all likelihood this is probably not the case. But, there are a few facts that tend to be consistent. These accidents always seem to happen in the winter, or at least while school is in session, and the victims are almost always males in their college years. It doesn't take much of a stretch to see that these things can be tied to our college drinking culture.

 There, it's out in the open; the one topic we are all sick of hearing. Apparently the message isn't sinking in, and maybe it never will. Somehow people always end up out on the street early in the morning, wandering around having no clue where they are and seeing the river as the best way to get home. The question we should all be asking is, why were these young men out by themselves in the first place? Not trying to blame anyone or anything, but if we looked after each other a bit more, these things might not happen as often. When we go out, we should stay together. We should make sure that we all get home safe.

 When I was in the Army, we received a "safety briefing" every Friday before we were cut loose for the weekend. Every commander that I had emphasized one thing: Take care of your buddy! They always said we should never find ourselves on our own. We must always travel in groups, and don't leave anyone behind. Now I don't mean to suggest that we should all act like we are in the military, but it is a point to consider.

 On that October night, the worst was avoided. The police were able to save two lives. That's a  good thing, and it speaks well of our city. But the truth is, those two kids never should have gotten that far.