[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 1, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2557-S2558]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                 Staff Sergeant Christopher A. Slutman

  Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, I want to thank my friend and colleague 
from Ohio for his kindness in yielding to me today.
  I rise this afternoon to pay tribute to an American hero--this man 
right here--an American hero and patriot who was taken away from us far 
too soon.
  Earlier last month, I was standing on the flight line at Dover Air 
Force Base alongside Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester; our colleague 
in the Senate, Chris Coons; and our Governor, John Carney. We were 
there to join the members of three families who had come to receive the 
remains of their loved ones, all marines who had been killed in action 
on April 8--a couple weeks earlier--when a roadside bomb went off in 
Afghanistan near Kabul as their convey was passing through.
  Two of the servicemembers killed were Active Duty: Cpl Robert A. 
Hendriks of Long Island, NY, and SSgt Benjamin S. Hines of York County, 
PA, which is not too far from my State of Delaware.
  There was a third marine, SSgt Christopher Slutman. Christopher was a 
reservist, a 15-year member of the New York City Fire Department, and a 
Delawarean. The 43-year-old U.S. marine was also a loving husband to 
his wife, Shannon, and the father of three girls: McKenna, age 10; 
Kenley, age 8; and Weslynn, age 4.
  In life and in death, Staff Sergeant Slutman epitomized the best of 
this country. He selflessly put his life on the line to protect and 
serve his country and his community.
  We read in the New Testament these words, and I will paraphrase them: 
No greater love hath a man than his willingness to lay down his life 
for a friend.
  These three marines laid down their lives for our country, and they 
also laid down their lives for a nation we are allied with, the 
government and the people of Afghanistan.
  Winston Churchill said a lot of memorable things, but one of the most 
memorable to me, a retired Navy captain, is that a reservist is twice a 
citizen. A reservist is twice a citizen.
  By that measure, Christopher Slutman was three times a citizen. He 
wore two uniforms in service to our Nation. One of them was this 
uniform, the fire department--a 15-year, decorated veteran of the New 
York City Fire Department--and also that of a staff sergeant of the 
U.S. Marines, serving in the 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division 
in the Marine Forces Reserve, which is based in Harrisburg, PA.
  Christopher's family calls him Chris. Chris had always dreamed of 
being a firefighter. He grew up in Maryland. He graduated from 
Frederick Douglass High School, where he played football, basketball, 
wrestled, and achieved Eagle Scout status. As a father of two Eagle 
Scouts, that is quite an achievement. Eventually, he volunteered with 
fire departments in Maryland and in Washington, DC. Most recently, he 
spent his time between the Bronx and Wilmington, DE, where his wife and 
three daughters lived full time.
  As my colleagues know, I live in Delaware, and I commute to work here 
by train almost every day--3, maybe 4 days a week. Christopher Slutman 
had a similar kind of commute. His family was in Delaware, and instead 
of coming this way, he would go north to work as a firefighter in New 
York City. He took the train in the opposite direction to do his job. 
He so wanted to serve that he would travel from his home in Delaware to 
Ladder Company 27 in New York City almost every day. In fact, he was on 
military leave from Ladder Company 27 and nearing the end of his most 
recent deployment with the Marine Reserves in Afghanistan when he and 
his two comrades lost their lives.
  It was for Chris Slutman's work in the Bronx that in 2014 he won the 
Fire Chiefs Association Memorial Medal for rescuing an unconscious 
woman from the 11th floor of a high-rise apartment building. I heard a 
firsthand account of that rescue, and it tells the story of a hero and 
a woman who could easily have died, and she didn't, and it was because 
of his actions. Staff Sergeant Slutman lived that kind of profound 
love. He dedicated his life to serving others even at his own peril.
  It seems that this kind of selflessness and devotion to service was a 
hallmark of the Slutman household. Staff Sergeant Slutman is survived 
by three brothers. One of his brothers is in the Marines, another is in 
the Army, and the third is a firefighter in Washington, DC--right here. 
Their father was an Army veteran and was also a volunteer firefighter, 
as was Chris Slutman's mother. What a family--Marines, Army, volunteer 
firefighters, firefighters up in New York City. I like to say 
leadership is leading by example. Leaders lead by example. It is not do 
as we say, but do as we do. They provide an incredible example for all 
of us.
  Last Friday, I was honored to have been able to join our Governor, 
John Carney, and Staff Sergeant Slutman's family, friends, and fellow 
servicemembers in New York City to pay our respects, along with the 
mayor of New York City and many other dignitaries who were there to pay 
their respects to a man who gave his life for this country.
  The first speaker at his funeral was Marine SgtMaj Christopher 
Armstrong--another Christopher--who served alongside his friend Chris 
for 8 years. Marine Sergeant Major Armstrong remembered Chris Slutman 
with these words. Here is what Christopher Armstrong had to say:

       Upon joining the unit, I began observing the Marines; who 
     they watched, how they looked at their leaders, and what they 
     said. There were a small number of men that when they spoke, 
     silence fell; when they issued an order, the response was 
     immediate; and when they were looked upon, it was with 
     reverence. Christopher Slutman immediately stood out as a 
     leader who was both respected and admired. He didn't pound 
     his chest, he didn't try to impress or go on about what he 
     was going to do. He just did it.

  He just did it.
  Sergeant Major Armstrong continued:

       Chris Slutman placed his Marines' welfare before his own. 
     Chris never sought credit, but he always gave it.

  Think about that. That is a good lesson for all of us, even here. 
Chris Slutman never sought credit; he always gave it to others.
  Fire Department New York Commissioner Dan Nigro also spoke. He 
described Chris Slutman as ``the type of American we can all be proud 
of.'' He continued: ``Chris was a protector of those in danger and a 
defender to those who needed him, a rescuer to those who needed saving, 
and a leader who demonstrated his valor on every tour of duty, both 
here and abroad.'' Those are the words of the Commissioner of the New 
York City Fire Department.
  I believe there was a poet named Edgar Guest--like a house guest--
Edgar Guest. I think he spent most of his life in Detroit, MI. He was 
oftentimes referred as a people's poet. He

[[Page S2558]]

used to say: ``I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day.'' Think 
about that. ``I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day.''
  Chris Slutman, your life was better than any sermon.
  Chris demonstrated the absolute best of our country every day with 
his heroism and his service to others. The way he lived his life and 
the way he give his life is a language that is clear to one and all.
  It is with a heavy heart that I, along with the entire First State--
that is the State of Delaware--and the people of this country, offer 
our sincere condolences to Chris's wife, Shannon, and their three 
girls. Their dad is an American hero.
  Our congressional delegation and our Governor promise that he will 
not soon be forgotten.
  I know that his legacy lives on in his daughters and in his wife 
Shannon.
  A friend of mine was married to a Navy SEAL a number of years ago. 
That marriage produced a daughter who is 18 years old and who will 
graduate from high school later this month. Her dad died of 
complications of PTSD. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan, as I recall. 
He later came down with ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease. He succumbed to that 
about a year ago. Members of my staff in Delaware--constituent service 
staff--have worked for months trying to make sure that his 18-year-old 
daughter would be eligible for the benefits of her Navy SEAL dad, now 
deceased. We learned last month that she will be eligible.
  One of the things our congressional delegation will work hard to do 
is to make sure that to the extent that Chris Slutman was eligible for 
the GI bill--and our guess is that he was--those benefits, under the 
law, if not used by the veteran, by the soldier, by the sailor, or by 
the airman, could be used by the spouse, and if not used by the spouse, 
could be used by a dependent child.
  There are three dependent children here--three daughters who are 
beautiful girls, who anyone would be proud to claim as their own child, 
grandchild, or niece. We are going to work hard to make sure that those 
GI bill benefits--if there is any way to do this legally--accrue to 
Chris and Shannon and Shannon's three daughters.
  I, again, thank my friend Senator Portman for his kindness in 
yielding tonight.
  To Chris Slutman: God bless you, Chris.
  Thank you.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Ohio.