HomeNewsArticle Display

Chapel team recognized for dedication

  • Published
  • By John Stuart
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  The day back in 2008 when Staff Sergeant Lisa Vincelette moved away from Tinker is one she will never forget. As an Air Force Reserve chaplain assistant here on temporary backfill, she had come to call the base and chapel home.

Transfer orders were the last thing she wanted to read. She was dedicated to the people and the mission at Tinker. But, it was time to move again.

"It was kind of funny when I got to Tyndall, my first night I was staying in lodging and, no kidding, I cried," said Sergeant Vincelette, an individual mobilization augmentee chaplain assistant.

However, after a short stint at Tyndall, she was back "home" at Tinker and hasn't looked back since.

It's this devotion to the community that makes the Tinker chaplaincy unit standout. Certainly there's a reason Sergeant Vincelette wanted to come back to the humble, service-oriented unit.

Here at Tinker, Wing Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Dave Terrinoni and his staff are uniquely committed to helping people and changing lives. But this care and concern for people reaches beyond the base perimeters. Others have noticed their devotion too.

Recently, Sergeant Vincelette and fellow unit member, Staff Sgt. Jessica Corrales, received top AFMC honors for their service on base. Sergeant Vincelette garnered the Citizen Airman Award while the recently-promoted Sergeant Corrales was named AFMC Airman Chaplain Assistant of the Year for 2009.

"I have so much joy in my life and it's fun to share that with others and usually where there's a need," Sergeant Vincelette said.

Sergeant Corrales also shares in the calling of changing lives for the better.

"What interests me is just the fact that our main mission here is people," Sergeant Corrales said. "We do everything that we can to put the warfighter first and get people involved and give them and their families support. It makes me happy that we're doing our job and doing our job well. And that award proves that we're successful as a team."

"As individuals they're top notch, I'd serve with them anywhere," said Chaplain Terrinoni. "These awards bring earned recognition for two people who work behind the scenes and whose absence would be very noticed. They're the tip of the iceberg. They're the ones you see, but the rest of the chapel section is just as sterling as they are."

Both sergeants said their faith is essential to effectiveness on the job and talked about a distinct camaraderie within the chaplaincy Air Force wide.

"I don't think you can be in this career field without some kind of faith," Sergeant Corrales said. "You have to be driven on some level by a higher power. You are faced with heavy things day by day.

"There's a distinct sub-culture in the chaplaincy and people become sisters and brothers. The things we deal with are very unique here. You're dealing with very intense emotional issues so there's a definite camaraderie that you get."

"As a chaplain assistant, my faith is what enables me to do my job," Sergeant Vincelette said. "I fall under the Christian umbrella and people ask 'how can you serve people of differing faiths.' It is through the peace that I have, regardless of my job, I have a duty to go out to meet people where they are and encourage them. I get an opportunity to get paid to do that."

While the chaplaincy staff has myriad outreach programs, from the Latte Lounge and Bible studies to numerous services across the ecumenical spectrum, they're grounded in their faithfulness to help others. It's this singular devotion that's a unique resource, available to all personnel, and it's a presence that is alive and well at Tinker.

"We're here to hold your hand and listen to you, or if you are happy and joyful and want to tell us about it we're here for you too," Sergeant Corrales said. "And to be able to have that kind of job and come in every day is really special."

For Sergeant Vincelette, her award comes amid another professional announcement. For the junior NCO, her time at Tinker draws to a close and soon she will transfer to Robins Air Force Base, Ga., for the next chapter of Air Force life. But, as she was reticent in leaving Tinker in 2008, her impending departure now comes with marked nostalgia.

"Leaving is going to be bittersweet," Sergeant Vincelette said. "I know I've been here for a while and I've made great friendships. My goal in life is that through my interactions with people they feel they're better off. I feel like the people I've impacted here have grown and that gives me great joy."

But Sergeant Vincelette leaves behind a corps of devoted colleagues. Certainly the Tinker community is in good hands.

"Truthfully this whole staff is really talented and they really represent a remarkable group of people that I am honored to be serving with," Chaplain Terrinoni said.