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[Page S2767]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES
STAFF SERGEANT CHRISTOPHER SLUTMAN
Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to an American
hero and patriot who was taken from us far too soon. Earlier this
month, I was standing in the flight line at the Dover Air Force Base
alongside Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester and Senator Chris Coons.
We were there to receive the remains of three marines killed in action
on April 8, 2019, when a roadside bomb went off in Afghanistan. Two of
the servicemembers killed were Active Duty: Cpl Robert A. Hendriks, of
Long Island, NY, and SSgt Benjamin S. Hines of York County, PA.
There was a third: SSgt Christopher Slutman, a Reservist, a 15-year
member of the New York City Fire Department, and a Delawarean. The 43-
year-old U.S. Marine was also a loving husband to his wife Shannon and
father to three daughters: McKenna, Kenley, and Weslynn. In life and in
death, Staff Sergeant Slutman epitomized the best of America. He
selflessly put his life on the line to protect and serve his country
and his community.
It was Winston Churchill who once said, ``The reservist is twice the
citizen.'' By that measure, Christopher Slutman was three times the
citizen. He wore two uniforms in service to our Nation. He was staff
sergeant in the U.S. Marines, serving in the 25th Marine Regiment,
Fourth Marine Division in the Marine Forces Reserve, based in
Harrisburg, PA. He was also a decorated 15-year veteran of the New York
City Fire Department.
Friends say that Christopher always dreamed of being a firefighter.
He grew up in Maryland and graduated from Frederick Douglass High
Schoo1, where he played football, baseball, and wrestled and achieved
Eagle Scout status. Eventually, he volunteered with fire departments in
Maryland and Washington, DC. Most recently, he split his time between
the Bronx and Wilmington, DE. Most days, I ride down to Washington, DC,
from my home in Wilmington to do my job. Staff Sergeant Slutman took
the train the opposite direction to do his job. He so wanted to serve
that he would travel from his home in Delaware to Ladder Company 27 in
New York City. In fact, he was on military leave from Ladder Company 27
and nearing the end of his most recent deployment with the Marine
Reserves in Afghanistan when he and two comrades lost their lives.
It was Slutman's work in the Bronx where, in 2014, he won the Fire
Chiefs Association Memorial Medal for rescuing an unconscious woman
from the seventh floor of a high-rise apartment building.
Scripture tells us in John 15:13, ``Greater love has no one than
this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.'' Staff Sergeant
Slutman lived that kind of profound love: dedicating his life to
serving others, even at his own peril, and it seems that this kind of
selflessness and devotion to service was a hallmark of the Slutman
household. Staff Sergeant Slutman is survived by three brothers. One of
his brothers is in the Marines, another in the Army. The third is a
firefighter in Washington, DC. Their father is an Army veteran and was
a volunteer firefighter, as was Slutman's mother. Here is a family who
has, and continues to, truly give of themselves in service of others.
Last Friday, I was honored to have been able to join Staff Sergeant
Slutman's family, friends, and fellow servicemembers in New York City
to pay our respects to a man who gave his life for this country. The
first speaker at his funeral was Marine SgtMaj Christopher Armstrong,
who served alongside his friend Chris for 8 years. Armstrong remembered
his friend with these words. He said, ``Upon joining the unit, I began
observing the Marines; who they watched, how they looked at their
leaders, and what they said. There were a small number of men that when
they spoke, silence fell; when they issued an order, the response was
immediate; and when they were looked upon, it was with reverence.
Christopher Slutman immediately stood out as a leader who was respected
and admired. He didn't pound his chest, he didn't try to impress or go
on about what he was going to do. He just did it.''
Armstrong continued. ``He placed his Marines' welfare before his own,
always. Chris never sought credit, but he always gave it.''
FDNY Commissioner Dan Nigro also spoke. He described Slutman as ``the
type of American we can all be proud of.'' And he added, ``Chris was a
protector of those in danger, a defender to those who needed him, a
rescuer to those who needed saving, and a leader who demonstrated his
valor on every tour of duty both here and abroad.''
It was a poet named Edgar Guest, who spent his life in Detroit, MI,
and was often referred to as the People's Poet, who once said, ``I'd
rather see a sermon than hear one any day.'' Christopher Slutman's life
was a better lesson than any sermon. He demonstrated the absolute best
of this country every day with his heroism and service to others. The
way he lived his life and gave his life is a language that is clear to
one and all.
It is with a heavy heart that I, along with the entire First State
and the country, offer our sincerest condolences to his wife Shannon
and his three girls. Their dad is an American hero. I, along with our
Governor, John Carney, and Delaware's congressional delegation, promise
you that he won't soon be forgotten, and I know that his legacy lives
on in you.
____________________
