[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 137 (Wednesday, November 12, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1551-E1552]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               IRON BILL

                                  _____
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 12, 2014

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on May 31, 2013, Houston Fire 
Department suffered its most tragic event in its history. Four of 
Houston's bravest firefighters died in the line of duty, fighting a 5-
alarm blaze at a hotel in southwest Houston:
  Captain EMT Matthew Renaud, 35, of Station 51;
  Engineer Operator EMT Robert Bebee, 41, of Station 51;
  Firefighter EMT Robert Garner, 29, of Station 68;
  Probationary Firefighter Anne Sullivan, 24, of Station 68.
  They were the best we had in Houston, and we are still saddened that 
they are gone.
  The hotel's hellish inferno claimed the lives of these four 
firefighters and injured fourteen other firefighters when the roof 
collapsed--some critically. One of the brave who survived was Captain 
William Dowling, also known as ``Iron Bill.''
  Iron Bill was injured serving Houston, the community in which he was 
raised. A graduate of Klein Oak High School, Captain Dowling left Texas 
to serve his nation as an enlistee with the United States Marine Corps. 
In 1993, on leave from Marine boot camp training, he married his high 
school sweetheart--Jacki. As a Marine, Iron Bill served 4 years, 
including a deployment to Somalia with I Marine Expeditionary Force in 
support of Operation Restore Hope, 1995. He returned home to Texas and 
to Jacki to begin his career and to start a family. Twenty-one years 
later, Captain Dowling and Jacki have three children: Forrest, Faith 
and Foster.
  Iron Bill's patriotic spirit and love of the community led him to 
join the Houston Fire Department. He graduated from the Houston Fire 
Department Academy in 2000 and steadily rose through the ranks. He 
worked at Stations 12, 19, and 48 before making Captain at Station 68 
in January of 2013. Firehouse 68 is located at the corner of Bissonnet 
and South Gessner in the ``heart of Southwest Houston''. In 2013, the 
fire apparatus of Firehouse 68 made 14,847 responses, making it the 
third busiest fire station in the City of Houston. There, at Firehouse 
68, Captain Dowling became known as ``Iron Bill,'' a fitting nickname 
to describe a strong and courageous hero.
  It was just five months after he arrived at Station 68 that Captain 
Dowling and fellow firefighters received an alarm call that would take 
them to the gates of hell.
  On that fateful day, in the heat of the Texas noonday sun, Captain 
Dowling along with the four other firefighters rushed into the hotel to 
find potential trapped guests. While the firefighters were in the 
hotel, the roof collapsed, trapping and killing Garner and Sullivan 
from Station 68 and Bebee and Renaud from Station 51. Captain Dowling's 
legs were crushed and burned, but he remained calm, radioed for help 
and waited for his brothers to pull him from the flames.
  The attending physician in the ambulance said that Captain Dowling, 
though severely injured, kept asking about the condition of his crew. 
He was more concerned for the safety of others than himself--the 
testament of a true hero. He told the doctor, on the way to the 
hospital, to tell his wife and children that he would fight for them. 
Hearing this comes as no surprise to Captain Dowling's family: they 
know him as a fighter.
  Captain Dowling was seriously injured with burns over thirty percent 
of his body, and he was placed in a medically induced coma for months 
at Memorial Hermann Hospital and Medical Center. He subsequently had 
both legs amputated and suffered brain damage. A long road of recovery 
was ahead for Captain Dowling, but surrounded by a team of doctors, his 
family, firefighter family, friends, church

[[Page E1552]]

and the entire city and state of Texas, Iron Bill was not alone. 
Deservingly, Captain Dowling became everyone's hero.
  Finally, six months after the fire, Captain Dowling left the hospital 
and went home, riding in Station 68's newly dedicated fire truck. Of 
course, he sat in the Captain's Chair. Along the drive home, he was 
greeted by firefighters and members of the community, who lined the 
streets and highways from the Texas Medical Center to Tomball.
  Since returning home, Jacki left her full time job at Frank 
Elementary to care for her husband full time. It's no surprise that as 
a Texas woman, she's strong and determined, but quite simply, the 
strength that she possesses is amazing. To keep the community updated 
on Iron Bill, she started blogging on a community Facebook page 
(entitled ``Capt. William Dowling Iron Bill''). This blog allows the 
community to rally behind the Dowling family: cry with them, laugh with 
them, pray for them and see their hero survive.
  In the last year, Captain Dowling has received a customized fire tank 
chair. It's an ATV-like wheelchair, and he loves driving it! At home, 
Houston Texans' JJ Watt visited Iron Bill and presented him with a 
Houston Texans' jersey with the #68 proudly displayed. Captain Dowling 
loves to sing and play guitar--from Bon Jovi to Third Day--and Texas 
Country music star, Cory Morrow, played for him when he was in the 
hospital. He was even able to travel to San Diego to see his son 
Private Forrest Dowling follow in his footsteps and graduate from the 
Marine Corps' Recruit Training. When Private Forrest Dowling held his 
newly earned Eagle, Globe and Anchor in the palm of his hand with pride 
after completing the Crucible, April 17, 2013, Forrest said that the 
main reason he decided to sign the dotted line and become a Marine, was 
because of his dad. He said my dad was a Marine and always wanted me to 
become a Marine as well, so it's what I set out to do. Despite his 
amazing progress, Captain Dowling has had his share of challenges. His 
pain is debilitating--so much so that Jacki cried out for help and 
prayers that he could be seen by a team of experts who had experience 
with traumatic amputations. She had heard of the work of the team at 
Brooke's Army Medical Center, which operates the only DOD Burn Center, 
at Fort Sam Houston and set out to work to get him admitted. The 
community rallied, launching a change.org petition, emailing and 
calling BAMC and reaching out to my office. It's rarely talked about, 
but most Congressional offices spend the majority of their time on 
``casework,'' offering constituents help with a federal department or 
agency.
  Within a matter of hours, Brooke's Army Medical Center deemed Captain 
Dowling admissible, saying they are honored to receive him and that he 
would be embraced by fellow Marines. Once the appropriate medical 
records were transferred, an ambulance transported Iron Bill from St. 
Luke's Hospital to Brooke's Army Medical Center for further treatment.
  As Iron Bill gets the medical care that he needs, I hope he knows the 
community of Tomball and the greater Houston area and, of course, 
Texas' Second District eagerly awaits his return home. When that 
happens, I hope we line the streets and cheer for him once again. For 
our community will always be grateful for his service and sacrifices. 
Once a hero, always a hero.
  And that's just the way it is.

                          ____________________