First Lieutenant Roslyn Schulte deployed to Afghanistan in February 2009 as a member of the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan. As the command’s foreign disclosure officer, she was the main conduit for sharing intelligence with Afghan military officials.

Lieutenant Schulte worked tirelessly to improve information sharing among Afghan forces. This task often required her to travel outside of her main base at Camp Eggers in Kabul, to more remote parts of the region. Intensely focused on the goal of helping the Afghan military achieve self-sufficiency, Lieutenant Schulte willingly accepted the risks of frequent travel across this dangerous terrain. She also embodied the core value of service before self, as she dedicated three hours nearly every day to organizing a charity for Afghan refugees.

Lieutenant Schulte was killed on May 20, 2009 when an improvised explosive device struck her vehicle. For her remarkable efforts to teach Afghan military officials how to gather and interpret military intelligence, Lieutenant Schulte was posthumously awarded the National Intelligence Medal for Valor and the Purple Heart Medal. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) established the Medal for Valor in 2008 to acknowledge the extraordinary accomplishments of Intelligence Community professionals.

While awarding the Medal for Valor to Lieutenant Schulte, former DNI Dennis Blair noted that Schulte “made a far-reaching impact on how intelligence was taught and shared with the Afghan National Army.” DNI Blair further noted that Lieutenant Schulte was “wise beyond her 25 years, and respected as a leader by all those around her – from general to Airman to Afghan tribal leader – regardless of the branch of service, regardless of nationality.”