Airman to Receive Posthumous Silver Star

March 8, 2016 | By Brian W. Everstine

The Air Force will award the Silver Star posthumously to Capt. Matthew Roland, a special tactics officer who was killed in an Aug. 25, 2015, insider attack in Afghanistan. Roland, who was deployed from the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla., and SSgt. Forrest Sibley, a combat controller with the 21st Special Tactics Squadron at Pope Army Airfield, N.C., were killed when their vehicle was attacked by two men dressed as Afghan soldiers at a checkpoint near Camp Antonik. The two airmen had a combined 12 years of service and deployed a total of seven times. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James on Monday said Roland will be presented with the Silver Star “very, very soon.”

Related Content

VIDEO: 4 Principles of Agile JADC2 Development

Jan. 25, 2021
Innovation has always been a hallmark of the U.S. Air Force. But with the accelerating pace of technology development, the service needs a new approach to modern design to make the latest technologies profoundly more accessible.

30 Years After Desert Storm: Jan. 26

Jan. 25, 2021
In commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of Operation Desert Storm, Air Force Magazine is posting daily recollections from the six-week war, which expelled Iraq from occupied Kuwait.

All Three USAF Bomber Types to Fly Over Super Bowl

Jan. 25, 2021
The Air Force will fly all three of its bomber types—a B-1B, B-2A, and B-52H—over Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Fla., on Feb. 7, the service announced. The mission marks the first time the three bomber types have flown formation over such an event, and is meant to showcase the…

Austin Ceremonially Sworn in at the White House

Jan. 25, 2021
Vice President Kamala Harris on Jan. 25 ceremonially swore in new Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III at the White House, days after he started the job and has already announced multiple changes to the Defense Department. “Secretary Austin’s integrity, experience, and intimate knowledge of the issues facing our military…

Brown on Capitol Riot: ‘I Struggled on That Day’

Jan. 25, 2021
On Jan. 6, as a throng of supporters of former President Donald J. Trump and right-wing extremists mobbed the U.S. Capitol, the Air Force Chief of Staff couldn’t tear himself away from the television. Brown, teleworking away from the Pentagon, said he watched in shock and disbelief as events unfolded…

About 5,000 Guard Troops to Stay in D.C. Through Mid-March

Jan. 25, 2021
Approximately 5,000 National Guard troops will remain on the streets of Washington, D.C., with most protecting the U.S. Capitol for almost two more months, in response to requests from federal agencies and local police who anticipate additional unrest. As of Jan. 25, there were about 13,000 Guard personnel still in…

Biden Reverses Ban on Transgender Individuals Serving in the Military

Jan. 25, 2021
President Joe Biden on Jan. 25 reversed the ban on transgender individuals serving in the military, opening the door to thousands barred from service and correcting the service record of anyone affected by the ban. The executive order, announced before Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III’s swearing-in ceremony at…

Air Force Projects Halted by Continuing Resolution Now Move Forward

Jan. 22, 2021
A three-month continuing resolution that ended in December inflicted less pain on the Department of the Air Force than it had expected, as procurement and construction continue in the new year. The federal government operated under a stopgap spending measure that stretched from the beginning of the fiscal year on…

Next F-35 Contracts Under Negotiation, Deal Expected by Late September

Jan. 22, 2021
Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon are negotiating the next three lots of F-35 production, expecting a contract by the end of the fiscal year, the Joint Program Office reported. The negotiating strategy calls for a “base year” contract followed by two options, likely to allow time for development to be…