I'm Okay If You're Okay: The Chris AuCoin Story

Chris AuCoin was the epitome of strength, bravery, and professional proficiency, a Marine

who later rose through the ranks of the New Hampshire State Police and SWAT Team,

securing a reputation for excellence, competency, and dependability. A beloved son,

brother, husband, and father of three girls, Chris was an icon in the New Hampshire law

enforcement community. Known as "the rock," nothing rattled Chris-not the life-or-

death nature of his job, his military past, or the medical challenges he endured. Chris was

the toughest man anyone knew, until he wasn't.

Over the course of a decade, Chris was violent and unpredictable, destructive and

dangerous-and then, calm, apologetic, and committed to a restoration of peace.

Eventually, the pain became too powerful. One December night in 2022, Chris entered the

woods near his home in New Hampshire, burrowed into the frozen frost of the underbrush,

and took his own life.

This is the recounting of an extraordinarily courageous life, and the cataclysmic impact

of addiction, and psychological despair. Filled with personal accounts of those closest

to Chris, his story exposes the magnitude of PTSD in our culture, law enforcement

communities and military veterans: How a physical specimen of strength and profound

achievement can still succumb to the invisible disfigurements of this insidious disease.

All proceeds benefit veterans' and law enforcement support organizations.

Jennifer Vaughn is an Award-Winning TV news anchor and Award-Winning author of fiction and narrative nonfiction. She's had roles in internationally televised presidential debates alongside CNN, ABC News, Fox News and has interviewed every president, and presidential candidate since 1999.

Her debut novel, Last Flight Out, was featured in the Swag Bag at the Daytime Emmy Awards in Beverly Hills, Ca. in 2013, while Jennifer's 2019 release, Shadow Kid, earned a Readers' Favorite Bronze Medal for Excellence in Writing. 2022's release, Made In Hollywood is an Amazon Top Ten Hot New Release, and has earned a Readers' Favorite Silver Medal for Excellence in Writing.

Jennifer has been interviewed by dozens of television and radio stations and has been featured in publications that include The Huffington Post, NH Magazine, Thrive Global, INC. Magazine, and NH Business Magazine.

She lives in beautiful New Hampshire with her family.

PTSD is an invisible battle that far too many veterans, first responders, and families fight in silence. I'm Okay, If You're Okay is a powerful and deeply human reminder that even the strongest among us can carry wounds no one else can see. Chris AuCoin's story is heartbreaking, courageous, and incredibly important. My hope is that this book helps spark more conversations, greater compassion, and real support for those struggling with trauma, addiction, and mental health challenges. At Paws of War, we see every day how healing, connection, and purpose, can save lives, and this book shines a much needed light on that mission. Robert Misseri, Co-Founder, Paws of War.

As someone who has lived in the worlds of combat, trauma, leadership, and service, I'm Okay, If You're Okay hit me hard. Chris AuCoin's story is not just about a Marine, a police officer, or a SWAT Commander, it's about a man who carried the weight of responsibility, pain, and expectation until it all became unbearable. This book courageously exposes the silent war so many veterans, first responders, and families are fighting behind closed doors. It's raw, heartbreaking, deeply and desperately needed. More than a memoir of loss, it's a warning, a resource, and a call to action for anyone who believes strength means suffering in silence. Chris's story matters, and this book may very well save lives. Remi Adeleke, Former US Navy SEAL, and bestselling author of Transformed.

A very powerful tribute, and these accounts of service, sacrifice, and suffering that lead to suicide must be told. Ultimately, this book will save lives. Don Bolduc, Retired Brigadier General, US Army.