It has been a while since we received a “casualties report” from what now seems to be the forgotten war, over in that place called Afghanistan.
And when we do it is a short, terse announcement such as the one below:
DoD Identifies Air Force Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two airmen who were supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. They died of wounds suffered Aug. 26 when the vehicle they were traveling in was attacked near Camp Antonik, Afghanistan.
Killed were:
Capt. Matthew D. Roland, 27, of Lexington, Kentucky. He was assigned to the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Florida.
Staff Sgt. Forrest B. Sibley, 31, of Pensacola, Florida. He was assigned to the 21st Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina.
For more information, media may contact the Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs Office at 850-884-5515.
But this time, the U.S. Air Force immediately followed up with a separate announcement that included the photos of the two fallen.
What makes this tragedy even worse is that it once again could be one of those so-called insider attacks as the lone gunman was dressed in an Afghan security forces uniform. Other reports claim there were two attackers. An investigation is underway.
If the investigations determine the shootings were the result of an insider attack, it will have been the third such attack against American and NATO troops since the end of the coalition’s combat mission last year.
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In April, Army Spc. John Dawson was killed and eight other soldiers were wounded when an Afghan soldier opened fire on American troops in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province. Dawson was the first U.S. military fatality since the end of NATO’s combat mission.
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In January, three American contractors were shot and killed by an Afghan soldier at the coalition’s compound at Kabul airport.
Tragedies like these remind us — in the midst of our political debates and “drama” — that our troops are still fighting and dying in faraway places and that we still have 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan “training and advising Afghan national security forces, as well as conducting a counterterrorism mission.”
Let us keep them in our minds and prayers.
The U.S. Air Force announcement:
HURBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFNS) — Two special tactics Airmen, who were deployed in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, were killed near Camp Antonik, Afghanistan, Aug. 26.
Capt. Matthew D. Roland, 27, and Staff Sgt. Forrest B. Sibley, 31, were at a vehicle checkpoint when two individuals wearing Afghan National Defense and Security Forces uniforms opened fire on them. NATO service members returned fire and killed the shooters.
“The losses of Matt and Forrest are a terrible blow to everyone who knew them,” said Col. Wolfe Davidson, the 24th Special Operations Wing commander. “These two combat controllers were incredible warriors who not only volunteered to join our nation’s special operations forces, but earned their way to the tip of the spear in defense of our nation.”
Roland was a special tactics officer at the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron here. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2010. Upon completing the rigorous STO training program in 2012, he was a team leader who supervised real-world combat preparedness training of a 35-member team. He deployed three times in his five years of service to multiple locations around the globe. He is survived by his parents.
Sibley was a combat controller at the 21st STS, Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina. He was a four-time Bronze Star medal recipient, once with the valor device, and he deployed four times to sensitive locations around the world in his nearly seven years of service. He is survived by his parents.
Due to their extensive special operations training, both were military qualified static line jumpers, free fall jumpers, combat scuba divers and qualified in joint terminal attack control.
Special tactics Airmen integrate, synchronize, control air and space power to enable global access, precision strike and personnel recovery for special operations.
“The risks that these men and their teammates endured in combat and in training are all too well known to the special tactics community, but it does not make this great loss any easier to bear,” Davidson said. “We will honor Matt and Forrest for the legacy they left behind, embrace their families as our own, and thank them eternally for their ultimate sacrifice for American freedom.”
The 21st and 23rd STS fall under the 720th Special Tactics Group, 24th SOW, the only wing solely dedicated to special tactics in the Air Force.
May God bless these heroes and our prayers are with their families.
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.