A soldier was caught behind the wheel while more than three-and-a-half times the legal limit.
Corporal Paul Johnstone was caught by police driving in the Holmfirth area with a flat tyre, sending off sparks.
Johnstone, currently stationed at Battlesbury Barracks in Wiltshire, had hours earlier drunk three bottles of wine with his partner.
The 40-year-old was handed a suspended jail term by a district judge sitting in Huddersfield.
Kirklees Magistrates’ Court heard that Johnstone can not now drive army vehicles.
Johnstone admitted driving his BMW with 125 microgrammes of alcohol in breath.
This was more than three-and-a-half times the legal limit of 35 microgrammes.
Police stopped Johnstone at just before 4am as he drove along New Mill Road on March 6.
They noticed sparks coming from a damaged front wheel and while speaking with him noticed that his breath smelt of alcohol.
Johnstone initially claimed that he had not been drinking and instead taken Tramadol for back pain but he failed breath tests.
The court heard that the previous evening with tea Johnstone had consumed three bottles of red wine with his partner.
He woke up in the early hours and was on his way to get some cigarettes when he was stopped by police.
Arfaq Nabi, mitigating, told the court that jail would have a disastrous effect on his client's 19-year army career as it would have meant immediate dismissal.
He explained that Johnstone was due to undertake a Nato operation in Poland later this year.
Mr Nabi said: “He’s highly regarded and his captain wants him in Poland with his colleagues dealing with the threat from Russia that presents at the moment.
“It was a colossal error of judgement. He was drinking and needed some fags, misjudged a U-turn and collided with a bollard.”
“He’s already lost a great deal."
“Losing his licence means problems as he can’t drive any army vehicle unless he has a full UK licence.”
Deputy District Judge Watson sentenced Johnstone to three months in jail suspended for two years.
He was also banned from driving for two years and ordered to pay £500 fine as well as £85 costs and £80 victim surcharge.
