KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa — An airman who smuggled a bag of Ecstasy tablets into Japan was sentenced Wednesday to more than 14 months in prison, concluding a case that his commander said had hurt the morale and efficiency of the entire 300-member unit.
Airman Brandon R. Grundy of the 18th Munitions Squadron was the catalyst in a situation where nine other airmen were removed from their ammunition-handling jobs because they participated in his drug-fueled parties, unit commander Lt. Col. Kathy Goforth said.
Grundy, 21, pleaded guilty to using and distributing Ecstasy on Kadena Air Base between March and June 2007. He said he bought the pills when he went home to Tucson, Ariz., to participate in the Air Force’s recruiter assistant program, and carried them into Japan in a plastic bag taped to his thigh.
He said he shared at least 80 pills with friends and co-workers on at least four occasions.
During Memorial Day weekend last year he turned his room into a "rave party," providing black lights, glow sticks, body paint and techno music to enhance the Ecstasy high for six of his friends, Grundy testified.
Two of his co-workers testified Grundy freely distributed the pills. One of the witnesses said he bought a pill for $40. Grundy denied he ever received money for the pills but said he accepted drinks and other favors in exchange.
Goforth said the case underscores how the bad acts of a few people can hurt an entire unit.
"This placed a strain on our operations," she testified. "When you have 20 people on a shift and 10 of them are taken off, you’re operating with half your work force."
After the trial, Goforth said nine other airmen were given nonjudicial punishment, reduced in rank to E-1 and administratively discharged. Six have already left the service and three were placed on administrative holds and remained on Okinawa for the Grundy trial.
She testified that she did not believe Grundy, who admitted he abused drugs and alcohol, could be rehabilitated.
But she said morale in the squadron is now "on the upswing."
"People understand we have a mission, a tough mission and we have a great team leading this squadron," she said. "People now know that when you do something wrong you’re going to be held accountable."
She said her senior enlisted personnel now do unscheduled walks through the dormitory to do checks.
Grundy, who faced a maximum sentence of 35 years in prison, told the court he is "ashamed" and "embarrassed" by his actions. He said he came from a broken family dominated by an abusive and alcoholic father and stepfather and he became addicted to alcohol at the age of 14.
"I joined the Air Force to get away from my self-abusing lifestyle," Grundy said. But he fell into old habits when he was assigned to Okinawa and became "the dorm drunk," he said.
Capt. Israel King, one of the prosecutors, sought a sentence of two years and a bad-conduct discharge.
Capt. Maxwell Smart, one of Grundy’s two defense lawyers, asked for a light sentence, arguing that Grundy’s parties were the kind "that happens on college campuses every day."
"He’s a foolish young man, not a major criminal," Smart said.
King countered that when college students abuse drugs "they run the risk of getting bad grades. But when an airman takes drugs, they risk their lives and the lives of others."
