[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 61 (Monday, April 28, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E606-E607]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        COLONEL GEORGE McDOWELL

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 28, 2014

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, to live to be 100 years old is in and 
of itself a remarkable accomplishment. But, to do what Colonel George 
McDowell has done in his life is truly impressive. His patriotic legacy 
of military service is one of the best examples of a founding member of 
the Greatest Generation.
  Born in Detroit, Texas on August 27, 1913, McDowell grew up like most 
rural Texas children. At the age of 17, he enrolled in North Texas 
Agricultural College (now the University of Texas at Arlington). In the 
1930s, this college served primarily as a military academy. In less 
than two years, McDowell graduated and decided to attend a third year 
to command D Company. This decision proved to be life-changing: in 
1933, he earned a competitive appointment to the United States Military 
Academy at West Point where he eventually served as president of his 
class. He graduated four years later, in 1937, as a Second Lieutenant 
in the Field Artillery.
  McDowell started his military career at Fort Sill, Oklahoma in the 
18th Field Artillery, a horse-drawn artillery unit. There, he trained 
with new long range guns, participated in the development of bomb 
handling equipment and worked with specialized vehicles that would be 
used during World War II. He learned the fundamentals of how to support 
the U.S. Infantry with close fire support.
  In Oklahoma, McDowell's friend from West Point, Lt. William 
Westmoreland (Class of 1936), later the Vietnam Commander, set him up 
on a blind date with Rae Woods. Rae, an Army ``brat'' of an Artillery 
Officer also stationed at Fort Sill, would soon become Mrs. McDowell.
  Two years later, with the mechanization of the Army, McDowell was 
transferred to the Ordnance Department for duty with the Air Corps. He 
attended the Aviation Ordnance School at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in 
Maryland and at Langley Field in Virginia. There, he served as an 
instructor and participated in developing bomb-handling equipment and 
specialized vehicles that were used in World War II.
  With the Germans invading across Europe and the Japanese seeking to 
gain ground in Asia, the U.S. Army and Air Corps were expanding 
quickly. Under this expansion, McDowell was assigned positions at 
Ordnance Officer at Bowman Field, Kentucky, Ireland Task Force, New 
Orleans Air Base and at Birmingham Air Base in Alabama as Ordnance 
Officer, Third Support Command.
  By the summer of 1942, McDowell was ordered to Washington D.C. to 
serve in the re-designated 12th Air Support Command of the Western Task 
Force to prepare for the North African campaign under the command of 
General Patton. McDowell was in charge of logistical planning, 
including movement of units and equipment, in the invasion of French 
Morocco called Operation Torch.
  General Patton and his troops, along with McDowell, arrived in 
Morocco at the port of Casablanca aboard the USS Augusta in the fall of 
1942. Within three days, Casablanca fell, providing the U.S. a strong 
military port. This Campaign built up the power of the U.S. Armed 
Forces leading into World War II by eventually pushing the German 
forces out of North Africa.
  McDowell then spent two years overseas in North Africa and Italy. 
There he was responsible for the logistics for arms and equipment 
necessary for both the Royal Air Force and the U.S. Tactical Air 
Support for the Fifth and Eighth Army Operations. In 1944, two years 
after deploying, McDowell was assigned to the War Department general 
staff where he was responsible for standardizing and approving 
procurement of newly developed small arms, ammunition, and specialized 
vehicles for the Army and Air Corps units.
  Upon returning home from World War II, part of America's Greatest 
Generation, McDowell wanted to do more with his life. He took his 
experience and knowledge from West Point and his military service and 
enrolled at Harvard Business School where he earned an MBA degree in 
1948. After Harvard, McDowell was then transferred from the Army to the 
Air Force, and he served at the Air Force's Headquarters at the 
Pentagon and at Wright Patterson Air Force Base from 1948-1955. He 
signed the procurement order and oversaw the installment of the first 
four UNIVAC computers for the Air Force, the Navy, the Bureau of 
Census, and Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
  McDowell then studied for one year at the Industrial College of the 
Armed Forces and reassigned from 1958-1960 to the Air Force's

[[Page E607]]

ballistic missile program, first in California and then as a project 
officer and commander of the Thor Missile Force in England. In England, 
McDowell contributed to training the Royal Air Force crews, who manned 
the Thor Missile Force of 60 missiles with atomic warheads--a mission 
that helped counter the Soviet Union's missile threats. He was later 
assigned to the Pentagon in the Office of Secretary of Defense's 
Weapons System Evaluation Group.
  In 1961, Colonel McDowell retired from the Air Force and a 24 year 
career as a commissioned officer in both the Army and Air Force. For 
his distinguished service, Colonel McDowell received the Legion of 
Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Air 
Force Commendation Medal.
  After retirement, McDowell moved home to Houston, Texas with his 
wife, Rae. There, he became a successful real estate entrepreneur and 
formed Clark McDowell & Kic, Inc., which has grown to become one of the 
leading residential property management firms in the Houston area. He 
and his wife, Rae, raised two children in Houston--Larry and Linda. 
Regrettably, in 2006, his wife, Rae, passed away at the age of 90. They 
were married for 70 years.
  After an admirable career in the military and a successful business, 
Colonel McDowell still wanted to give back: he served as an Adjunct 
Professor at the University of Houston Continuing Education School for 
nine years, as the first president of the Houston Chapter of the 
Military Officers Association of North America and as president of the 
West Point Society of Greater Houston. True patriot and citizen, 
Colonel McDowell has also served on three grand juries. Colonel 
McDowell is currently the fifth oldest, living graduate of West Point.
  Our nation is indebted to Colonel McDowell for his service, and our 
local community is privileged and grateful to call him a fellow 
Houstonian and hero. At 100 years old, he continues the good fight. It 
is with great pleasure that I recognize and honor Colonel George 
McDowell, for his service to our country and for continuing to give 
back to our community through a lifetime of service. Without his 
service, we would not be the greatest country the world has ever known.
  George McDowell's 7 Rules to Live By:
  Rule 1: Stay Mentally Challenged Every Day
  Rule 2: After age 70, associate only with younger people
  Rule 3: Forget any rocking chair concept of retirement--stay active, 
exercise, walk
  Rule 4: Get at least 7 hours sleep each night
  Rule 5: Schedule an hour's nap each afternoon
  Rule 6: On getting up from a nap, mix a good bourbon Old Fashioned to 
drink before dinner
  Rule 7: When leaving the doctor's office, if he does not shout 
``whatever you are doing, keep doing it'', get a new doctor and a 
second opinion
  And that's just the way it is.

                          ____________________