Captain Matthew Roland
Branch of Service: Air Force
Years of Service: 2010-2015
Military Occupation: Special Tactics Officer
Honors/Awards: Killed in Action; Silver Star; Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal and Combat Action Medal.
Captain Matthew D. Roland, a Special Tactics Officer was killed in action on Aug. 26, 2015, when two Afghan National Defense and Security Forces individuals opened fire on a convoy he was leading at a checkpoint near Camp Antonik, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Seconds before the attack, he recognized the imminent threat and gave his convoy enough time to react to the insider attack with a radio call. Captain Roland knowingly put himself in the line of fire by moving the bus he was driving to protect the vehicle occupants, giving them precious time to react and neutralize both gunmen.
Roland graduated from Lexington Catholic High School in 2006 and from the United States Air Force Academy in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautical Engineering and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant.
Captain Roland was the Blue Team Leader, 23d STS. He supervised a 35 member team, leading reconnaissance, strike and recovery missions. He was a certified air traffic controller, military static line jumper, free fall jumper, combat scuba diver, and joint terminal attack controller. He deployed three times, twice to Afghanistan and once to Africa.
During his last deployment Captain Roland was attached to an Army Special Forces Team, with an Afghan Commando unit in the Helmand and Kandahar Provinces. He engaged in numerous combat missions controlling airspace and coordinating strike and surveillance aircraft disrupting Taliban and Al-Qaeda insurgents.