[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7631]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE SERVICE AND MEMORY OF WORLD WAR II SOLDIER SECOND 
                    LIEUTENANT OWEN BAYLISS COFFMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RAUL RUIZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 26, 2016

  Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the service and memory 
of World War II hero and soldier, Second Lieutenant Owen Bayliss 
Coffman of Palm Springs, California. His remarkable life was cut short 
when he answered our nation's call to service in the Second World War. 
It is my intention to honor the memory of this hero by recording the 
history of his service to our great country.
  Owen Bayliss Coffman was born on February 1, 1920 in Palm Springs, 
California to Owen Earl and Helen Ann Bayliss Coffman. Owen attended 
school in Palm Springs, completing his primary school education at 
Frances Stevens School. For four years, Owen rode a bus from Palm 
Springs to Banning High School, where he graduated in 1938. He left our 
Coachella Valley to attend Stanford University where he earned a 
bachelor's degree in 1942. Owen strongly desired to serve his country 
in uniform, and a bad back that never healed correctly after breaking 
it at the age of 20 almost kept him from military service. While at 
Stanford, Owen enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and came to active 
duty in 1943. Owen completed his basic training in Santa Ana, 
California and completed his flight training at March Field. He earned 
his wings in Yuma, Arizona and was awarded the rank of second 
lieutenant. Owen and his crew shipped off to Peterborough, England. On 
his second bombing mission over Poland, his crew was recalled over the 
North Sea. His plane went down due to inclement weather. Of the ten men 
on his plane, seven were killed and three parachuted to safety. Owen 
sacrificed his life in service to our country.
  Owen was buried at the American Military Cemetery near Cambridge. His 
grandmother wished for his remains to stay in England, saying, ``Leave 
him in the land of my ancestors, where he will forever be honored with 
his fallen comrades.''
  Mr. Speaker, Owen Bayliss Coffman is an American hero whose life and 
service deserve to the fullest extent our abilities to honor him. It is 
with my deepest respect that I commend and remember this brave young 
man from Palm Springs. Owen joined hands with countless other patriots 
to safeguard the freedoms we enjoy. He is a shining example to all of 
us, and it is my sincere hope that by preserving his memory, we inspire 
a new generation to look to Second Lieutenant Owen Bayliss Coffman's 
shining example of self-less service, patriotism, and dedication to 
freedom.

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