[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 16, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1302-E1303]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE DEDICATED SERVICE AND SELFLESS SACRIFICE OF CAPTAIN 
                           MATTHEW D. ROLAND

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JEFF MILLER

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 16, 2015

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is with both profound sadness 
and deep gratitude that I rise to pay tribute to a fallen decorated 
American hero. On August 27, 2015, Captain Matthew D. Roland, who was 
assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron at Hurlburt Field, 
located in Florida's First Congressional District, tragically succumbed 
to wounds received during an attack the day prior while conducting 
operations in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel near Camp 
Antonik, Afghanistan. Captain Roland was 27 years old, but lived a 
lifetime marked by and full of service.

[[Page E1303]]

  Born December 24, 1987, at Ellsworth Air Force Base, Rapid City, 
South Dakota, Captain Roland is described as an avid outdoorsman, who 
enjoyed hiking, camping, and fishing, as his childhood saw him 
following his father's Air Force career across the country. After 
graduating high school, he continued in his family's footsteps of 
service and entered the Air Force Academy, graduating in 2010. Upon his 
commissioning, then-Second Lieutenant Roland entered the Special 
Tactics Officer Program attached to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron 
and served as a team leader.
  Among his qualifications, Captain Roland was a military static line 
jumper, free fall jumper, an Air Force combat scuba diver, and a joint 
terminal attack controller. His military career would include leading 
his teams on three deployments, two to Afghanistan and one to Africa, 
and by all accounts he fulfilled his duties with the utmost 
selflessness. Among his many awards and accolades are the Meritorious 
Service Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, Air Force Organizational 
Excellence Award, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign 
Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and Air Force 
Expeditionary Service Ribbon with Gold Border.
  As exemplified by his extraordinary heroism, Captain Roland's life 
stands as a testament that freedom is not free, and his legacy will 
echo in time as an example of the ultimate sacrifice in the name of 
freedom. My wife, Vicki, joins me in praying that God is with Matthew's 
parents, Mark and Barbara; his sister, Erica; his niece, Willamina; and 
all of his family and friends during this time of great mourning, and 
we ask that God continue to bless them and the United States of 
America.

                          ____________________