[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 112 (Thursday, July 7, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E695-E696]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE IN MEMORY OF JACOB CHAFFINS

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                           HON. HAROLD ROGERS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, July 7, 2022

  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
one of Eastern Kentucky's fallen heroes, Jacob Russell Chaffins, a 28-
year-old law enforcement officer and certified canine handler who was 
one of three officers killed in the line of duty in Allen, Kentucky.
  Chaffins' life should not be measured by his number of years on 
Earth, but by the magnitude of his service and courageous action during 
his short lifetime. He not only earned Badge No. 533 from the 
Prestonsburg Police Department, but he was also a member of the 
Prestonsburg Fire Department, a certified EMT, and a U.S. Marshal. 
Chaffins was also enlisted in the U.S. Armed Forces, serving as a 
Combat Engineer Sergeant in the Kentucky Army National Guard's 577th 
Sapper Company in Prestonsburg, Kentucky. As a guardsman, Sgt. Chaffins 
was deployed during multiple state emergencies, including the Winter 
Storm Response of February 2015 and COVID-19 pandemic relief efforts in 
March 2020, dedicating countless hours to serve and protect the people 
of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Sgt. Chaffins was awarded the Army 
Service Ribbon, the Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, and the 
Florida Commendation Medal for meritorious achievement in Exportable 
Combat Training Capability. Sgt. Chaffins was also awarded the Army 
Achievement Medal in recognition of his excellence as a team leader in 
preparing and equipping troops to defend this great Nation and the 
values we hold dear.
  President Theodore Roosevelt, who was a former commissioner of the 
New York City Police Department once said, ``No man is worth his salt, 
who is not ready at all times to risk his body, to risk his well-being, 
to risk his life in a great cause.'' On Friday, July 1, 2022, Officer 
Chaffins paid the ultimate sacrifice after he valiantly risked his life 
and answered the call of duty to protect others in Floyd County.
  His heroic death was the greatest display of love described in John 
15:13, ``Greater love

[[Page E696]]

has no man than this: to lay down his life for his friends.'' It was 
with great courage of conviction that Jacob Chaffins lived to protect 
the people of the United States, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and 
especially those in Floyd County.
  In a Nation where police forces have been vilified in recent years by 
the actions of a few bad actors, may Officer Chaffins' life be a 
reminder of the outstanding integrity and sacrifice that the thin blue 
line represents. We must continue to support our law enforcement 
officers across the United States, ensuring they are fully equipped, 
adequately prepared, and never at the mercy of evildoers.
  This Nation owes a great debt of gratitude for the life and service 
of Officer Jacob Chaffins. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife 
Savannah, their daughter Paisley, his mother April and his siblings, as 
well as the widespread band of brothers and sisters in uniform who 
served alongside him. May his loved ones find peace and confidence in 
God's promise in Matthew 5:9, ``Blessed are the peacemakers, for they 
will be called children of God.''

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