Black Mess Dress
Deputy Chief - Research and Development

General Coffin was born June 15, 1917 in Bellingham, Washington.

He was commissioned as 2nd Lt in the Field Artillery Reserve and then entered active duty in Washington with the 3d Infantry Division (1940). After graduation from Field Artillery School he took command of Battery A, 41st Field Artillery Battalion and participated in the assault landings at Casablanca, Morocco with the first wave. (1942).

He was transferred to General Patton's I Armor Corps and served as Counterbattery and Naval Gunfire Officer. He landed in Sicily with the assault forces and participated in the campaign to seize Palermo and Messina. He then landed in Southern France on D-Day, directing the fires of naval guns supporting the 7th Army in which he later joined as Operations Officer (1944).

He served as commander of the 373d Field Artillery Battalion (1945); Chief of War Department General Staff of Eastern Europe and Russian Section (1945); Commander of the 549th Airborne Field Artillery Battalion at Camp Pickett (1948).

After graduation and serving on the faculty at the Artillery School he commanded the 39th Field Artillery Battalion with the 3d Infantry Division in Korea (1953); Chief of Staff, GI of the 3d Division.

After his return to the U.S. he was responsible for the planning and operations of the launching of JUPITER-C, the first U.S. Satellite (1958). He was assigned to positions in Italy (1960), Germany (1961), U.S. (1963), and ultimately Belgium until his retirement (1965-1967).

He died at the age of 92 March 17^th, 2010 in Palo Alto, California.