P o r t r a i t s c o u r t e s y o f t h e C o f f l a n d f a m i l y
circle changed from “blue collar to blue blood” when he for bravery. His final distinction, a Purple Heart, came just two attended the prestigious Gilman School in Baltimore for high weeks after he arrived in Afghanistan. Coffland was killed by a school. In college, he did construction work in the summer roadside bomb on Nov. 13, 2009. He was 43. while friends traveled all over the world—something he The broken-hand story shows qualities that friends say made vowed to do after graduating. up his personality and values system. He was tough and fearless. He didn’t make a big deal about things. He cared deeply about his friends and teammates. And he didn’t like to be told what to do. A Blue-Collar Mentality That last quality made his decision to join the military “Chris wasn’t the typical W&L student,” Chuck O’Connell puzzling to John Nozemack ’88. A friend of Coffland’s since they said. “I used to joke with him that he was a construction were seven, Nozemack was his freshman roommate, fraternity worker from Parkville, going to a preppy school like Gilman brother and teammate. He said the young Coffland had hoped to and then on to W&L.” attend West Point, which recruited him for football and lacrosse. Coffland, who captained the W&L football and lacrosse But one visit to a lacrosse camp there convinced him that teams, took that blue-collar mentality to the athletic field. the rigid conformity of the Despite Coffland’s relative military academy was not lack of size, Nozemack — for him. who played against him in “He was so independent high school—said he was a and just didn’t care about dominant athlete known for what anyone thought,” his big hits. He remembers Coffland laying a hit on a Nozemack said. “All he teammate twice his size that was looking to do was learn knocked the other player’s as much as he could and bethelmet off and literally sent ter himself. I think that was his feet over his head. In a just infectious and attracted film session, the coach kept people to him.” Nozemack calls the perreplaying the hit to the son so interested in other embarrassment of the happeople and cultures “Old less player. Chris.” On the other hand, David Coffland said that the “Young Chris” had his son’s intensity started strongly held beliefs and early. He made up for his didn’t care to examine why lack of size with an intensomeone might have a difsity and fearlessness. He ferent opinion, Nozemack never backed down. That said. He was right, they were intensity manifested itself wrong. Only after coming on the athletic field in what to W&L did Coffland start David Coffland described as to develop a more laid-back a “cold-blooded” attitude. persona and take a genuStanding with other parents ine interest in what made at a lacrosse clinic one day, people tick. Accordingly, he he watched his middlemajored in psychology and school-aged son hit a player sociology/anthropology. so hard that he ruptured the “If someone told me boy’s kidney. that when we were kids, “It was devastating. And Army Specialist Chris Coffland ’88, recipient of I would’ve laughed my I’m thinking, ‘Man, he’s a two Bronze Stars for bravery and a Purple Heart, ass off,” Nozemack said little guy to hit somebody was killed by a roadside bomb on Nov. 13, 2009. about Coffland’s choice of that hard.’ He was intense.” majors. Unlike Nozemack, David Coffland grew up outside of Baltimore, the youngest Coffland saw an introspective side to his son. He did well in of five children of Antoinette and David Coffland Jr. His school, but never made a big deal about it. He had friends, but siblings are Lynn Coffland, Karen Bresnahan, Laurie Bartlett was a quiet, reserved kid. and David Coffland. He took pride in his middle-class “He was very complicated even when he was young. You upbringing. In a letter to the Army explaining his qualificanever knew what he was really thinking,” he said. “It was tions for intelligence work, he wrote about how his social always a mind game with him.” S
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