[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 170 (Wednesday, September 29, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1041]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





          HONORING THE LIFE OF 1ST SERGEANT CHRISTOPHER COFFIN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TOM MALINOWSKI

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 29, 2021

  Mr. MALINOWSKI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize 1st Sergeant 
Christopher Coffin, who tragically lost his life serving his country 
during Operation Iraq Freedom.
  1st Sergeant Chris Coffin was assigned to the 352nd Civil Affairs 
Battalion when the vehicle he was traveling in was forced off the road 
by insurgents on July 1, 2003. He died that day protecting a convoy 
that had travelled from Kuwait to Baghdad.
  Sgt. Coffin was born in Branchburg, New Jersey in 1951 and spent most 
of his childhood there. In 1978, while attending Rider University in 
Lawrenceville, New Jersey, he met his wife, Betsy. The two of them 
shared a love for the outdoors, and would frequently travel together to 
ski the Rocky Mountains.
  Chris was also a National Park Ranger, serving at Gettysburg National 
Military Park, Pennsylvania and at Mount Rainier National Park, 
Washington. At Mount Rainier, he was a climbing ranger and was 
responsible for saving the lives of many injured or trapped visitors. 
He took such pride in the daily raising and lowering of our nation's 
flag at the Paradise Ranger Station that his friends, even to this day, 
remember the huge smile beaming on Chris' face as he walked to the 
flagpole.
  Chris was a loving husband, a proud serviceman who always took care 
of his soldiers, a National Park Ranger who led search and rescue 
missions to save the lives of park visitors, and a friend to everyone 
who was fortunate to have met him.
  Madam Speaker, please join me today in recognizing the life of 1st 
Sergeant Christopher Coffin.

                          ____________________