[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 19 (Monday, January 31, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S410]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 REMEMBERING COMMANDER KRISTIN DRISCOLL

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, today I honor the memory and steadfast 
service of CDR Kristin Driscoll, a beloved mother, wife, daughter, 
sister, and Active-Duty Coast Guard Officer.
  To use a maritime metaphor from Lord Alfred Tennyson, Commander 
Driscoll ``crossed the bar'' on October 26, 2021, following a brave 
battle with a brain tumor. Kristin underwent brain surgery on November 
13, 2017, 1 week after her 35th birthday. Although the surgeons were 
able to remove 97 percent of the tumor, the remaining 3 percent was 
rooted too deeply to reach.
  True to form, Kristin rebounded from her surgery with energy and 
renewed purpose. Despite her prognosis, she ran a half marathon in 
April 2018, reported to work every day, and planned family outings.
  Stanford Medical Center quickly took note of Kristin's energy and 
optimism and asked her to participate in a patient education video 
project, saying they had been looking for someone like her for nearly 2 
years. She filmed the video the very next week.
  Commander Driscoll served in the U.S. Coast Guard for 20 years and 
was the first in her family to serve. For the majority of that time, 
she was stationed in California, from San Diego to Alameda, and had a 
clear passion for Coast Guard operations. Specifically, she focused on 
emergency management supporting natural disasters, oil and pollution 
response, and search and rescue.
  She was a leader on a diverse list of operational teams that ranged 
from the National Contingency Plan ``Special Teams'' that monitored 
Federal Marine Environmental Response operations across the southwest 
border to a Command Center that conducted search and rescue efforts 
across 3.3 million square miles of offshore waters from California to 
the Panama Canal.
  In reviewing the achievements of Commander Driscoll, I am struck by 
her unwavering dedication and poise in confronting terrific challenges. 
She contributed to the response to the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, 
led a security deployment to Guantanamo Bay, and oversaw the first-ever 
deployment of a U.S. Coast Guard standard boat from a foreign naval 
vessel in support of counter-drug smuggling operations in the 
Caribbean. She deployed in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria as 
deputy incident commander to lead search and rescue and recovery 
efforts, took a leading role in supporting COVID-19 response efforts as 
planning section chief, and took the lead role as incident commander 
for the USS Bonhomme Richard fire.
  Commander Driscoll's ability was well-noted throughout her life, and 
her record of success is etched in Coast Guard history. After 
graduating cum laude from Baker University in 2005, Commander Driscoll 
earned a master's degree in Homeland Security Leadership from the 
University of Connecticut. Her personal awards include an Advanced Boat 
Force Operations Insignia, six Coast Guard Commendation Medals, two 
Coast Guard Achievement Medals, two Letters of Commendation, a NOAA 
Corps Directors Ribbon, and various service and unit awards. She was a 
leader in every sense, and I take some solace in the fact that her 
inspiration will live on in the thousands of officers she taught at the 
Coast Guard's Leadership Development Center.
  Today, I thank CDR Kristin Driscoll for her devotion, as well as her 
husband PJ, daughters Averie and Cameron, and son Nolan. Her service 
was an honor to us all.

                          ____________________