A Special Tactics Officer with the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Capt Roland was posthumously awarded the Silver Star. He sacrificed himself to alert his convoy of an insider attack at a vehicle checkpoint in Afghanistan, saving his team. While driving the lead vehicle in a special operations convoy, Capt Roland approached an Afghan security checkpoint. Realizing immediately that the individuals at the checkpoint were insurgents dressed in uniforms raising their weapons, he shouted a warning over the radio and threw his vehicle into reverse. By taking the brunt of the initial heavy machine gun fire, he gave the rest of his team the precious seconds needed to dismount, seek cover, and neutralize the threat. His rapid situational awareness and selfless sacrifice undoubtedly saved the lives of his fellow Special Tactics operators in the trailing vehicles.