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Roland was born to Clifford Paul Roland and the former Grace Paysinger in rural Maury City in Crockett County in western Tennessee.[1] His 132-page ''My Odyssey Through History: Memoirs of War and Academe''[2] mixes personal recollections with social commentary, particularly on the [[Great Depression]], [[World War II]], and his lengthy academic career.[3]

Roland was born to Clifford Paul Roland and the former Grace Paysinger in rural Maury City in Crockett County in western Tennessee.[1] His 132-page ''My Odyssey Through History: Memoirs of War and Academe''[2] mixes personal recollections with social commentary, particularly on the [[Great Depression]], [[World War II]], and his lengthy academic career.[3]

The son and grandson of educators, Roland attended from 1934 to 1936 the Christian-affiliated Freed-Hardeman University (then a junior college) in nearby Henderson, Tennessee. He then transferred to [[Vanderbilt University]] in the capital city of [[Nashville]], from which he graduated in 1938 at the age of twenty. From 1938 to 1940, he was a young schoolteacher at Alamo High School in Alamo, also in Crockett County. From 1940 to 1942 and again from 1946 to 1947, he was an historian for the National Park Service within the [[United States Department of Interior]] in [[Washington, D.C.]][1] After the 194[[Japan|Japanese]] attack on [[Pearl Harbor]], [[Hawaii]], Roland joined the [[United States Army]] as a captain in the infantry in the European Theatre of World War II. He fought in the 1944 [[Battle of the Bulge]] in [[Belgium]]. Roland earned a [[Purple Heart]] fighting in the Remagen Bridgehead, had close brushes with death, and mourned the loss of friends in battle. He witnessed the destruction of German cities.[3] He was also awarded a [[Bronze Star]] medal.[1] His memoir compares and contrasts World War II with the Civil War.[3]

The son and grandson of educators, Roland attended from 1934 to 1936 the Christian-affiliated Freed-Hardeman University (then a junior college) in nearby Henderson, Tennessee. He then transferred to [[Vanderbilt University]] in the capital city of [[Nashville]], from which he graduated in 1938 at the age of twenty. From 1938 to 1940, he was a young schoolteacher at Alamo High School in Alamo, also in Crockett County. From 1940 to 1942 and again from 1946 to 1947, he was an historian for the National Park Service within the [[United States Department of the Interior]] in [[Washington, D.C.]][1] After the 1941 [[Japan|Japanese]] attack on [[Pearl Harbor]], [[Hawaii]], Roland joined the [[United States Army]] as a captain in the infantry in the European Theatre of World War II. He fought in the 1944 [[Battle of the Bulge]] in [[Belgium]]. Roland earned a [[Purple Heart]] fighting in the Remagen Bridgehead, had close brushes with death, and mourned the loss of friends in battle. He witnessed the destruction of German cities.[3] He was also awarded a [[Bronze Star]] medal.[1] His memoir compares and contrasts World War II with the Civil War.[3]

Using the GI Bill of Rights of 1944, Roland studied briefly at [[George Washington University]] in Washington, D.C., and then procured his Ph.D. in history in 1951 from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge,[1] where his scholarly mentors included Francis Butler Simkins, specialist in southern studies, T. Harry Williams, the authority on both the Civil War and on [[U.S. Senator]] [[Huey Long|Huey Pierce Long, Jr.]], and Bell I. Wiley, the pioneer historian of the common soldiers of the Civil War. After his graduate studies, Roland returned to the military during the [[Korean War]] as the assistant to the chief historian of the Army. He then pursued his academic career, having taught from 1952 to 1970 at [[Tulane University]] in [[New Orleans]], with service as department chairman from 1960 to 1970.[1] He then taught another eighteen years from 1970 to 1988 at UK in Lexington, Kentucky.[3]

Using the GI Bill of Rights of 1944, Roland studied briefly at [[George Washington University]] in Washington, D.C., and then procured his Ph.D. in history in 1951 from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge,[1] where his scholarly mentors included Francis Butler Simkins, specialist in southern studies, T. Harry Williams, the authority on both the Civil War and on [[U.S. Senator]] [[Huey Long|Huey Pierce Long, Jr.]], and Bell I. Wiley, the pioneer historian of the common soldiers of the Civil War. After his graduate studies, Roland returned to the military during the [[Korean War]] as the assistant to the chief historian of the Army. He then pursued his academic career, having taught from 1952 to 1970 at [[Tulane University]] in [[New Orleans]], with service as department chairman from 1960 to 1970.[1] He then taught another eighteen years from 1970 to 1988 at UK in Lexington, Kentucky.[3]