In the early hours of an August morning in Afghanistan, a special tactics Airman distinguished himself as a hero.

After a long day of airfield operations on an unsecured landing zone, Capt. Matthew Roland, assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, volunteered to drive the lead vehicle in a convoy of U.S. Army Special Forces on Aug. 26, 2015, as he was most familiar with the route back to Camp Antonik in Helmand Province.

All that stood between the team and camp was three Afghan-led security checkpoints.

It was a relatively calm, quiet night as the convoy rumbled past two of the checkpoints without incident.

Roland proceeded to the final checkpoint, parking the bus and leaving the engine idling as the team’s Afghan translator disembarked to obtain clearance to pass.

Two guards wearing Afghan National Defense and Security Forces uniforms granted passage, but at that moment, one of the guards moved toward a bunker fortified with a belt-fed M240B machine gun, while the other moved toward Roland’s driver-side window.

As the guard came within 5 feet of Roland and raised his M4 carbine rifle to his shoulder, Roland reacted instantly. He keyed radio to shout, “Insider attack, insider attack!” and jolted the bus into reverse. Gunfire ripped through the steel and glass of the bus’s front, taking the full effect of the M4 fire.

The 27-year-old Lexington, Kentucky, native was killed instantly, knowingly sacrificing himself in the line of fire to alert the convoy and to protect his teammates behind him. Because Roland did not hesitate to protect others in the face of danger, he gave his special operations teammates enough time to react and eliminate both gunmen.

From Eagle Scout to a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate with a degree in aeronautical engineering, Roland completed difficult tasks with a single-mindedness and sense of humor that impressed his peers and superiors.

So, it was no surprise to many when he completed the rigorous special tactics training program in 2012 to become one of the few special tactics officers in the Air Force. He was trained as a military static line jumper, free fall jumper, an Air Force combat scuba diver, and a joint terminal attack controller. He deployed twice to Afghanistan and once to Africa.

Even in his short time of service, the captain was a decorated veteran, earning the Bronze Star medal. With this Silver Star medal, he now joins an elite group of more than 70 Airmen who received the nation’s third highest medal for gallantry in action since 9/11. Thirty-five of those medals were presented to his small community of special tactics Airmen.

While a Silver Star medal solidifies Roland’s legacy of valor, it won’t define the memory of Roland. To many in the special tactics community who knew him, those few seconds of heroism represent a lifetime of character that continues to positively impact others.

“He was a Titan among men,” said Master Sgt. Jared Hodges, one of his Special Tactics teammates. “Capt. Roland’s tactical knowledge was unmatched, whether talking close air support doctrine or how to maneuver a force on the battlefield.”

“I will forever miss my leader and my friend,” Hodges said of Roland, his Special Tactics team leader. “Rest easy, brother. Your fight is over.”

“He was loved and respected and was good at what he did. As parents, we can think of no greater tribute,” Mark Roland said. “Matthew was a true patriot; he loved what he was doing and believed in it.”

In the end, Roland was, and always will be, a man who sacrificed his life so that others may live.

(Written by SrA Ryan Conroy, 24th Special Operations Wing)

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