04/24/2013 -- Marine Corps Logistics Command
After a recent deployment to Afghanistan, a Marine Corps Logistics Command employee found himself being rewarded for performing in a manner significantly above that normally expected in a combat environment.
Donald V. Roberts, a logistics manager, Weapon Systems Management Center, MCLC, is also a chief master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force Reserve.
Roberts deployed from Oct. 2011 until May 2012, participating in Operation Enduring Freedom.
He served as the superintendent of the 996th Air Expeditionary Squadron, 9th Air Expeditionary Task Force Afghanistan, a joint unit which provides expeditionary combat support to U.S. and Coalition Forces operating in Afghanistan.
“I accepted this decoration in honor of the men and women that I served with, and in memory of the ones I lost,” Roberts said.
Joint expeditionary tasked, individual augmented Airmen lived and worked among their brothers and sisters in arms from other branches of service and all walks of life.
Despite having returned from his combat tour in 2012, the award was presented recently at his Air Force command.
All the while, Roberts remained a silent hero as he continued to support the operational forces from his position at MCLC.
“The second greatest privilege that a military leader will ever have is leading troops in a conflict,” Roberts said. “The greatest (privilege) is bringing them all home.”
Air Force Reserve Chief Master Sgt. Donald V. Roberts is a North Carolina native and has served honorably for 26 years.