[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 87 (Wednesday, May 19, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S2777]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 REMEMBERING VICE ADMIRAL JOHN CURRIER

 Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the memory of 
a devoted veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard, VADM John Currier, who 
passed away in March of 2020. I would like to take the time today to 
reflect on his service, courage, and tenacity as the hangar at the U.S. 
Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City is dedicated in his honor.
  Born and raised in Westbrook, ME, Vice Admiral Currier began his 
career in service as a police officer. Further expanding his devotion 
to serve, Vice Admiral Currier commissioned from Officer Candidate 
School as a naval aviator in 1976. He was first assigned to U.S. Coast 
Guard Air Station Cape Cod, where a few years later, his skills and 
commitment to protect were tested.
  On a snowy late October evening in 1980, the Coast Guard received a 
distress call from the TERRY T., a burning and sinking fishing vessel 
in 30 foot seas. Winds were gusting over 60 knots and visibility was 
cut to three-quarters of a mile from heavy rain, according to reports. 
Currier, unfaltering in his duty to be Semper Paratus, was able to 
maneuver his aircraft into position based only on voice commands by the 
hoist operator. He had rescued eight of the crew when two men were 
swept off the deck and were in the water. He was able to fly the 
aircraft into position in order to get the rescue basket beneath the 
drowning crew members and brought them on board.
  Vice Admiral Currier was awarded the Harmon International Aviation 
Trophy, but his accolades and awards for rescue missions do not stop 
there. The Alaska Air Command SAR Pilot of the Year Award, American 
Helicopter Society, Fredrick L. Feinberg Award, and the Naval 
Helicopter Association SAR Aircrew of the Year, all have been awarded 
to Vice Admiral Currier for various hazardous rescue missions 
throughout his career.
  During his career, Vice Admiral Currier stood the watch at six Coast 
Guard air stations, from Alaska to Florida. He was designated as an 
aeronautical engineer in 1982, and after a few years in Alaska, Vice 
Admiral Currier was assigned to Air Station Traverse City in 1985.
  Other assignments have included deputy program manager for the Coast 
Guard and Navy HH-60H/J joint helicopter acquisition at the Naval Air 
Systems Command, and chief of SAR operations and directory of auxiliary 
for the Ninth Coast Guard District. Vice Admiral Currier then served as 
commanding officer of Air Stations Detroit and then Miami, which was 
then the world's busiest air-sea search and rescue unit. An alumnus of 
the University of Southern Maine, he held a master's in business 
administration from Embry-Riddle University. He was a 1996 graduate of 
the U.S. Air Force Air War College and held a level III acquisition 
program manager certification.
  Subsequently, he was assigned as Pacific area chief of operations, 
then area chief of staff, and was appointed commander of the 13th 
District, which covers the Pacific Northwest. He assumed the duties of 
the Coast Guard's chief of staff in 2009, later transitioning that 
position to the service's first deputy Commandant for Mission Support. 
Vice Admiral Currier assumed duties as the 28th Vice Commandant in May 
2012, during which time he was awarded the title of Ancient Albatross 
of the Coast Guard, until his retirement in May of 2014.
  Vice Admiral Currier was a devoted military man and was supported by 
an incredible spouse--his wife of 45 years, Mary Jane Currier. They 
were known for their hospitality and for throwing spectacular parties 
for fellow Coast Guard members, family, and friends. Mary Jane and John 
had two sons, Benjamin and Andrew. John was a devoted father who spent 
countless hours coaching Little League and teaching his two sons 
woodworking and auto mechanics. In his retirement, Vice Admiral Currier 
and Mary Jane enjoyed boating on Lake Michigan with their four 
grandchildren.
  Mr. President, I ask you and my fellow colleagues to join me in 
celebrating the life and service of Vice Admiral John Currier. As we 
remember Vice Admiral Currier's life, I have no doubt his surviving 
wife, children, and family have found comfort in the precious moments 
they shared and in the love he showed them. With the U.S. Coast Guard 
Air Station Traverse City hangar now dedicated in his memory, I hope 
those who had the honor of serving beside Vice Admiral Currier remember 
his legacy when they enter it and that future Coast Guardsman are 
inspired by his devoted and honorable career.

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