[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 23656]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     RETIREMENT OF COLONEL STEPHEN M. CHRISTIAN, UNITED STATES ARMY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 6, 2009

  Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, I want to take a moment to honor a fine 
officer who will shortly be leaving active duty. COL Stephen M. 
Christian will be retiring from the United States Army on October 12, 
2009, after more than 30 years of active military service, culminating 
as Garrison Commander for the United States Army Garrison, Fort 
Monmouth, New Jersey.
  Colonel Christian enlisted in the Army in 1978 and in 1984 attended 
Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as an Air Defense 
Artillery Officer. Throughout his career Colonel Christian has held 
numerous high level command and staff positions, including tours with 
the 7th Infantry Division (Light) at Fort Ord, California; the 25th 
Infantry Division (Light) at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; and the 10th 
Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York. He commanded at the battalion 
level on two occasions and served two tours of duty in Afghanistan in 
support of Operation Enduring Freedom, during which he was awarded two 
Bronze Star Medals. Colonel Christian's civilian education includes a 
master of science in administration and a master of security strategy 
from the National War College, National Defense University. Colonel 
Christian is married to Laura Christian and they have two adult 
children, Captain Nicholas Christian and Leslie Roop.
  Madam Speaker, our active duty families make many sacrifices for the 
rest of us, and this is especially true of those who make the military 
their career. I thank Colonel Christian for his long and honorable 
service to our Nation, and I wish him and his wife Laura the very best 
as they prepare to enter a new phase in their life journey together.

                          ____________________