Captain Matthew D. Roland, 27, was a Special Tactics Officer in the U.S. Air Force killed on August 26, 2015, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, near the end of his third deployment. He was driving the lead vehicle of a special forces convoy returning to Camp Antonik when the convoy reached the final of three Afghan-led security checkpoints. Two individuals in Afghan National Defense and Security Forces uniforms initially allowed the convoy to pass but then turned hostile. One moved toward a fortified bunker with a machine gun; the other approached the driver’s side and began to raise his rifle.

Captain Roland shouted insider attack over his radio and put the vehicle in reverse to move away as the attacker opened fire. He was killed instantly by an initial burst that came through the front of the vehicle; Staff Sgt. Forrest Sibley was also killed. Roland’s alarm and his attempt to move the vehicle gave other convoy members time to take cover, arm themselves, and neutralize both gunmen. His actions were later recognized with a posthumous Silver Star.

Anyone who served with Captain Roland or was in Helmand Province that day and can add details about the convoy, the checkpoint sequence, or the attack is asked to share what they know.