Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, the Army's third highest award for combat valor is the Silver Star. Today, it is my honor to praise a Silver Star recipient from my district in State College, Pennsylvania, Chief Warrant Officer Two Mark Roland. In August at Fort Bragg, he received the award for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States from Lieutenant General John F. Mulholland, commander of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Bragg. The award comes from the President of the United States. While serving as the Intelligence Sergeant for a Special Forces Operational Detachment at Firebase Ripley in Afghanistan, Roland cleared and destroyed enemy fighters at close range, rescuing eight Afghan soldiers and leading the actions of the detachment's split team to a battlefield victory. The citation reads that Roland distinguished himself by inspiring those around him to extraordinary collective valor. His personal courage and commitment to mission accomplishment in a combat zone, under extreme circumstances, greatly contributed to mission success. Roland and all of the other servicemembers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan deserve our praise and our gratitude for daily risking their lives for freedom. A Silver Star is our Nation's token of our greater thanks. ____________________”