[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 70 (Tuesday, April 25, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S2506]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   Specialist William ``Bill'' Bailey

  Today, Mr. President, I honor the life and service of William 
``Bill'' Bailey of Bellevue, NE. Now, the name ``William'' comes from 
old German. It means ``determined protector''. Bill Bailey lived up to 
his name. His mother Margaret says he was a born protector. When Bill 
was very young, he lost his father to a car accident. Margaret recalls 
how Bill embraced his younger sister Jessy just after her birth. The 
word came to her at once: protective.
  As he grew, Bill naturally looked to protect those outside his family 
too. Ron Budwig was matched with Bill through the Big Brothers Big 
Sisters program.
  Ron recalled a simple but profound example of Bill looking out for 
Ron's family. Ron's mother was running late to one of the program's 
activities, and, meanwhile, the parking lot was filling up. Bill went 
and stood in a parking space, keeping it open until Ron's mother could 
come. It was a simple act, but it said a lot.
  Bill attended Bellevue East, where the call to protect his country 
prompted him to enlist in the Nebraska Army National Guard in 1995. 
After graduating from high school in 1996, he served out his enlistment 
with distinction.
  A few years later, in December 2000, Bill met Deanna, whom everyone 
calls Dee. She was a bank teller at Wells Fargo. He drove an armored 
truck. They met through a service window. Now, Bill had left the 
service in 2001 when his enlistment ended. After 9/11, he felt the call 
to serve his country again--but first things first. Bill and Dee 
married in 2004. Dee's children, Cody and Maquala, took immediately to 
Bill and his children, Catlynn and Billy. Logan soon followed.
  As you can expect, Bill's protective nature made him a great father. 
It also made him a great firefighter. Extending his protection beyond 
his family once again, he joined the Bellevue Volunteer Fire 
Department. He was a natural fit. Whether there or working as a life 
flight dispatcher, Bill worked to keep Bellevue safe.
  That deep desire to serve his country continued to tug at him. In 
2005, Bill reenlisted in the Nebraska Army National Guard. Originally 
assigned to the 600th Transportation Company, he transferred to the 
755th Chemical Company. Why the transfer? Because he learned the 755th 
would soon deploy. In late 2006 it did. Bill Bailey went with it. The 
755th Chemical Company was assigned to provide security escorts for 
truck convoys operating out of the Balad Air Base in Iraq. Iraq at this 
time was increasingly unstable. It was dangerous, but Bill's good 
nature made it bearable.
  SGT Timothy Ossowski remembers SPC Bill Bailey fondly: ``When I 
became his team leader, I thought I had struck the jackpot.'' By 2007, 
the insurgency in Iraq had erupted to new levels of violence. Increased 
American forces sought to seek out and destroy the al-Qaida network. 
Casualties ran high.
  Despite the high operations tempo, Bill and Dee communicated almost 
every day through phone calls or texts. On May 24, they were able to 
talk by phone. In typical fashion, Bill mentioned he was excited to 
finish his dull watchtower duty and start a new security escort mission 
the next day. Bill was also excited for his upcoming leave in June, 
when the Bailey family planned to celebrate Bill's birthday.
  The next day, May 25, 2007, Bill took part in that security escort 
mission. During it, his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. 
Three Nebraska Army National Guard soldiers were wounded, and Bill 
Bailey was killed.
  More than 1,000 people gathered in Bellevue to remember Bill. A 
Patriot Guard of more than 100 flag-flying motorcycles accompanied his 
funeral procession. Specialist Bailey earned several military awards, 
including the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, 
and the Combat Action Badge. Bill's brother-in-law, Damian Kuzeppa, 
summarized Bill's life:

       Bill was a wonderful husband, brother, son, father. He 
     dedicated quite a bit of his life to helping other people. He 
     was definitely a go-doer. He will definitely be missed.

  William Bailey is survived by his mother Margaret, his wife Deanna, 
and their children, Cody, Maquala, Catlynn, Billy, and Logan. Bill 
Bailey is a true Nebraska hero. I am honored to tell his story.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Delaware.