[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 6 (Friday, January 11, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E36]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IN MEMORY OF BENJAMIN EDWARD NORMAN, USN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 11, 2019

  Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House to 
commemorate Navy Petty Officer MMN3 Benjamin Edward Norman who 
tragically lost his life in a weather-related car accident on December 
31, 2018.
  Ben was born October 4, 1998 in Manchester, CT to Sam and Teresa. 
Having moved to Coventry as a teenager, Ben graduated from Coventry 
High School in 2016. Soon thereafter, Ben, an accomplished Eagle Scout, 
enlisted in the U.S. Navy. His service was just beginning to take shape 
in recent months when he was selected to serve in the prestigious 
Nuclear Propulsion Training Program, a demanding assignment that 
requires high intellect and diligent work habits. Last year I had the 
opportunity to meet Ben and his father Sam, and Ben was excited to 
begin this new mission that would have taken him to the most advanced 
naval platforms in our nation's fleet.
  Ben was also on course to marry his beloved fiancee, Asia Jurkiewicz, 
a native of Poland whom he met during a Boy Scout exchange program in 
Krakow, Poland. Madam Speaker, Ben's passing is a terrible loss for 
Asia, Ben's family and our nation. His public-spirited approach to life 
and willingness to volunteer to wear our nation's uniform in the U.S. 
Navy pointed to a life of great accomplishment. Hopefully his memory 
will inspire others to follow his example. I ask my colleagues to 
please join me in honoring the life and memory of Ben Norman and 
expressing our deepest sympathies for his family and friends.

                          ____________________