[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 101 (Tuesday, June 20, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1294]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       TRIBUTE TO DR. BOB FOWLER

                                 ______


                            HON. BART GORDON

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 20, 1995
  Mr. GORDON. Mr. Speaker, few get the chance to know someone who 
exemplifies the very meaning of the word service. I am honored to be 
able to tell you about this man who has given so much to all of us.
  Dr. Bob Fowler learned the true meaning of service to his country 
through his military work and the true meaning of service to the men 
and women of our communities through his work as a physician. From day 
one, he was dedicated to both.
  As a young man, he hitchhiked to Fort Bragg, NC hoping to join the 
82d Airborne Division of the U.S. Army. He was placed in the infantry 
instead, but got his chance to work with that acclaimed division 45 
years later, as the oldest combat soldier in the Persian Gulf war. Dr. 
Fowler served both the 82d and 101st Airborne Divisions on the front 
lines. By then he was a combat surgeon because following his World War 
II service as a private, Fowler attended the University of North 
Carolina and Duke University Medical Schools.
  Following graduation he continued his Army service in the Medical 
Corps, serving as a first lieutenant in the Korean war. After active 
duty, he continued to practice general surgery, but he still retained a 
love for military service.
  In 1987, Dr. Fowler joined the Tennessee Army National Guard as a 
battalion surgeon. During that period he used the kind of practical and 
creative thinking that merged his many talents and helped so many 
people.
  He came up with what is now known as MediGuard, a system that allows 
Guard medical facilities to be used to help indigent patients and 
rescue missions when the staff and facilities are not busy.
  The concept has been so successful it is now used nationally, but to 
Fowler it is just another way to help others. That is the kind of 
spirit that has made our country and our communities strong.
  The dedication has not gone unnoticed, even now upon his retirement. 
Gov. Don Sundquist has promoted Dr. Fowler to the rank of major general 
of the Tennessee National Guard. It is a well deserved honor for him 
and a wonderful moment for all of us, who continue receiving the 
benefit of his talent, experience, and dedication. I am proud to call 
Dr. Bob Fowler a friend.


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