113th Wing Religious Affairs Airman recognized for outstanding accomplishments with Air Force District of Washington Chaplain Corps Award

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Deborah Ou-Yang
  • District of Columbia Air National Guard

Tech. Sgt. Angelica Robinson, a religious affairs airman with the 113th Wing, District of Columbia Air National Guard, received the 2021 Air Force District of Washington Chaplain Corps Award for demonstrating superior performance in her duties. Robinson received the Charles R. Meier Award, which honors retired Chief Master Sgt. Meier, the second chaplain assistant career field manager of the Air Force Chaplain Corps. 

An Airman’s mental resilience and spiritual well-being can be as important as physical strength and conditioning. The Chaplain Corps and religious affairs airmen like Robinson play a critical role in the U.S. armed forces, taking care of service members and their families.

Robinson does not need external acknowledgment to feel dedicated to her work, but “receiving an award does give me a sense that I am serving my purpose, which is taking care of Airmen and their families,” she said.

In addition to her position with the 113th Wing, Robinson is also serving on a Military Personnel Appropriation tour – a tour of active duty to support short-term needs of the active force – with the 316th Wing Chapel since October 2018.

Each unit has an assigned Religious Support Team, and, together with her team and its chaplain, Robinson takes care of more than 800 members of the Security Forces Group at Joint Base Andrews.

One of the events Robinson and her team organized for their unit is an “Embrace the Struggle” luncheon, where they invited younger Airmen and leadership to get to know each other. Robinson has also led base-wide events such as movie nights and the tree lighting ceremony.

Some aspects of Robinson’s job are more emotionally challenging. “I see the more unfortunate side of things when I get activated for a Disaster Mental Health team to respond to a crisis within a unit,” said Robinson. “My main goal is to provide comfort to that unit or family during those times.”

Where does Robinson derive her own motivation from? “I draw inspiration in hearing testimonies of the impact that the Chapel has had on someone,” said Robinson. “Seeing or hearing positive feedback whether it be person or via email or social media always makes me feel good. I think it means that people know we are present.”