Women Who Serve feature
Story by Ashley Elvington • Photographed by Laura McBryde Gainey
Angela
ROBINSON
GROWING UP AS AN “ARMY BRAT,” Angela Robinson was inspired to serve
her country, thanks to the example her father had set. “He was in the military
and served approximately 40 years. The Army was a natural decision, since
I was familiar with the lifestyle. If I needed… help with any decisions or had
questions, I would defer to my father for the answers.” Angela’s son was also
her motivation, as Angela was a single parent at the time who wanted to provide for her young son while also saving for her own college education.
Once she decided to enlist in the military in 1992, Angela experienced some
anxiety at thoughts of leaving her young son and missing out on the important moments of his childhood. That March, she traveled to Fort McClellan in
Alabama for basic training. “I was excited and nervous, as were all of us. We
didn’t know what to expect, especially after having heard the rumors about
drill sergeants. I was nervous, yet ready for the unexpected.”
After training was completed, Angela moved to Sinop, Turkey, where she
was stationed as a Military Police Officer. Angela and two other females were
sent as support services. Angela flew for 15 hours from JFK Airport to Germany, and then she boarded a plane for a three-hour flight to Turkey. She and
the other two ladies kept getting moved off of the plane in order for their
seats to be given to higher-ranking soldiers. Eventually, the ladies had no
other choice but to ride a bus for eight hours to the duty station. “Luckily for
us, an E-7, who was also going there, escorted us because it was unsafe for
Americans at that time due to Saddam Hussein supporters.”
Arriving during the time of Desert Storm, Angela, at first, didn’t fully grasp
what she had signed up for when she enlisted. “I was anxious and nervous,
and a little scared. But, I knew I had made the right decision for my life.” Angela recalls the moment of arriving in Turkey as awesome and equally scary.
“There were friendly people, as a lot of the younger generation had not seen
black people before and were mystified at our skin color and hair. They would
surround us in throngs, wanting to speak to us, although there was a language barrier. Often, my friends and I would be solicited by older Turkish men
who wanted to come back to the States with us.” The ladies would regularly
have a curfew by which to abide, as the base would go into a state of lockdown due to Hussein supporters rallying within the city.
Angela’s duties included training and working with Turkish Military Police
Officers as well as patrolling the base. She and the other two officers experienced some challenges during this time as African-American, female Military
Police Officers. “When soldiers saw us, they thought it was going to be easy
to get out of trouble or that they didn’t have to listen to our directions. It was
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JULY 2016
“The military has given
me strength I didn’t know
I possessed. It gave me
the drive to keep on going,
no matter the situation or
problems presented . . .”
quite frustrating at first, but you figure out how to deal with it, and do your
job.” Not to be deterred, Angela and her two fellow officers carried on, developing a tight bond during their time of duty. “The reward of being in such
a secluded place was the friendships I developed and the camaraderie that
we all had.” It was also eye-opening to live in another country. “Experiencing
different cultures has helped me understand people better. I think that’s the
best reward of all.”
While it was an exciting time for Ange la, there were many terrifying and
heartbreaking moments as well, which are, unfortunately, expected in wartime. “As one bus was in route to our location, we got notice that it had been
ambushed, and a few of the soldiers had been taken off the bus and were never heard from again. I also experienced a fellow soldier committing suicide
while I was on duty. That was so sad…He was in my unit, and young - just 21
years of age. I will never forget his face.”
Despite the fact that women were not allowed to be on the front lines or
to be involved in combat during that time, Angela succeeded within her area
of specialty, exiting in 1995 as an E-4. “It felt great to be acknowledged for
promotion.” An added benefit was the pay-raise, especially since Angela had
plans to be a college graduate upon leaving the military. She also received a
Good Conduct Medal and a Bronze Star during her time of service. While all
of these are of great importance, none compare to the friendships she made
and the discipline and work ethic she learned from her fellow officers. She
also learned how to adapt to her surroundings and how we, as Americans,
take a lot of our freedoms for granted. “All of us are human, and children are
the same all over the world. We all want the basics: love, family, a safe place
to lay our heads, and food.”
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