By WILLIAM KATES
Associated Press

FORT DRUM - Upset with an increase in the number of 10th Mountain Division soldiers using illegal drugs and being arrested for alcohol-related offenses, Fort Drum will begin publishing the names and photos of offenders in its post newspaper, says commander Maj. Gen. Michael Oates.

Starting with the front page of last Thursday's edition, the Fort Drum Blizzard will feature photographs of the 45 soldiers who have been charged with DWI since Jan. 1. The names and photographs of soldiers committing such offenses will become a regular feature in the paper, although not on the front page.

"I don't take this step lightly and I realize that there will be people offended by this," Oates said. "But apparently talking to them is not deterring this behavior, and financial penalties are not deterring this behavior.

"I understand soldier culture well enough ... I may not understand youngster culture well enough ... but I think they would probably not be happy with this public recognition of their misconduct," said Oates.

Department of Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Anne Edgecomb said she was not aware of any other Army installations taking such action.

Oates said there has been an "unacceptable" increase of substance abuse on the northern New York Army post over the last three months, although he did not provide any specific numbers.

Presently, Fort Drum soldiers charged with DWI or DUI face immediate suspension of their on-post driving privileges, usually for a year, said Fort Drum spokesman Ben Abel. The loss of driving privileges is not contingent upon a conviction, Abel said.

Commanding officers frequently remind soldiers about the dangers of driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, but the problem has continued, he said.

"To date, those offenses have been fairly private. You commit a DWI, and virtually nobody knows about it outside your immediate chain of command," Oates said. "I think a soldier who is willing to go out there and place himself and all the rest of us at risk has earned the notoriety that I'm going to provide them in the newspaper."

Fort Drum also will publicize the names and photos of soldiers who test positive for illegal drug use. The post conducts random drug screening of 10 to 15 percent of its troops every month, making it likely that every soldier will be tested over the course of a year, he said.

The 10th Mountain Division has nearly 17,000 soldiers. It has been the Army's most deployed division since its reactivation in 1986 and has played a central combat role in the war on terror in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Despite the division's frequent combat deployments, Oates was reluctant to blame the recent increase in substance abuse on those deployments, or the mental stresses that accompany them. Oates said Fort Drum officials have noted increased use of marijuana and cocaine among initial-entry soldiers who have yet to be deployed.

"I think it is more generational and cultural at this point," Oates said. "And I really don't care in a lot of ways. Because in our (Army) culture, we believe in discipline, and it is against the law to use these drugs and to drive intoxicated. So regardless of your circumstances, we are not going to tolerate this kind of behavior."