Roslyn Littman "Roz" Schulte (March 4, 1984 – May 20, 2009) was a United States Air Force officer killed in action in the

U.S. war in Afghanistan In late 2001, the United States and its close allies invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban government. The invasion's aims were to dismantle al-Qaeda, which had executed the September 11 attacks, and to deny it a safe base of operations ...

, making her the first female United States Air Force Academy graduate to be killed by enemy action and the second female graduate killed in action. She was posthumously awarded the

National Intelligence Medal for Valor The National Intelligence Medal for Valor, formerly the Intelligence Community Medal for Valor, is a decoration of the United States Intelligence Community awarded by the National Intelligence Awards Program led by the Office of the Director o ...

and the Hawaii Medal of Honor.

Early life and education

Born on March 18, 1984, in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, Schulte grew up in suburban Ladue, Missouri, and graduated from John Burroughs School in 2002. She was Jewish. Schulte served as an intern to former U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard of Colorado in 2005. She graduated from the

U.S. Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Unit ...

and was commissioned in 2006, part of the first class to have entered the academy after the September 11 attacks.

Military service

Schulte was assigned to the Pacific Air Force 613th Air and Space Operations Center at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii, and was sent on deployment as an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations officer. Three months after she arrived in Afghanistan, she was killed by a roadside bomb near Kabul. In addition to the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, Roslyn was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal,

Joint Service Achievement Medal The Achievement Medal is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. The Achievement Medal was first proposed as a means to recognize outstanding achievement or meritorious service of military personnel who were not eligible to rece ...

Air Force Combat Action Medal The Combat Action Medal (CAM) is a decoration of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force to recognize airmen and guardians for active participation in ground or air combat. The CAM was first awarded on June 12, 2007 as the Air ...

, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and NATO Medal.

National Intelligence Medal for Valor citation

Schulte was posthumously awarded the

on January 25, 2010, the first named female recipient. Her citation noted "her courageous efforts to teach Afghan military officials how to gather and interpret military intelligence" and said, "She died in Afghanistan en route to a Bagram Airfield meeting on the very issue that powers the IC: sharing intelligence."

Legacy

Two buildings near Kabul were renamed in Schulte's honor: At Camp Eggers, one of the buildings was designated "Roz's House"; at Sia Sang, a building was named "Schulte's Place." In 2010, the Air Force Academy created the Lt. Roslyn Schulte Cadet Award to recognize a cadet who "embodies the same impeccable character, unwavering leadership, and spirit of service that distinguished Lieutenant Schulte." In 2011,

Goodfellow Air Force Base Goodfellow Air Force Base is a nonflying United States Air Force base located in San Angelo, Texas, United States. As part of Air Education and Training Command, Goodfellow's main mission is cryptologic and intelligence training for the Air Forc ...

dedicated a training facility building in Schulte's honor. The conference room in the ISRD of the 613th Air and Space Operations Center at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii is named after 1Lt Schulte.94th AAMDC Soldier Remembers a Fallen Airman
/ref> A conference room at 25th Air Force has also been dedicated in her honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schulte, Roslyn L. 1984 births 2009 deaths Jewish American military personnel American military personnel killed in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Military personnel from St. Louis United States Air Force Academy alumni United States Air Force officers United States Air Force personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews John Burroughs School alumni

Early life and education

Military service

National Intelligence Medal for Valor citation

Legacy

See also

References