[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 19]
[House]
[Pages 26405-26407]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                 RAYMOND M. DOWNEY POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the 
rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3379) to designate the facility of the 
United States Postal Service located at 375 Carlls Path in Deer Park, 
New York, as the ``Raymond M. Downey Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 3379

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. RAYMOND M. DOWNEY POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 375 Carlls Path in Deer Park, New York, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``Raymond M. Downey Post 
     Office Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the Raymond M. Downey Post Office Building.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Virginia (Mrs. Jo Ann Davis) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Israel) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Jo Ann 
Davis).


                             General Leave

  Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and 
extend their remarks on H.R. 3379.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3379 introduced, by my distinguished colleague, the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel), is an important piece of 
legislation that designates the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 375 Carlls Path in Deer Park, New York, as the 
Raymond M. Downey Post Office Building. It carries the support of the 
entire New York congressional delegation.
  Mr. Speaker, we lost many heroes in New York on September 11, but the 
loss of Chief Downey was an especially difficult one. A New York 
firefighter for 35 years, Raymond Downey's long and distinguished 
career is worth noting. He served with ladder and engine companies and 
with rescue squad companies.
  He commanded Rescue Company 2 for 14 years. Chief Downey became a 
battalion chief in August 1994. Most recently, Chief Downey led the 
Special Operations Command, whose duties include rescue work, marine 
operations and the handling of dangerous materials.

                              {time}  1445

  He was one of the Nation's leading experts on rescue operations at 
collapsed buildings.

[[Page 26406]]

  Furthermore, Raymond Downey led a New York Fire Department special 
unit to assist in recovery efforts at the Murrah Federal Building in 
Oklahoma City, directed rescue efforts at the 1993 attack at the World 
Trade Center, and assisted FEMA in forming a national network search 
and rescue team.
  Mr. Speaker, these remarkable accomplishments speak highly of Raymond 
Downey. Those who saw him work were awed by his abilities to bring 
order to even the most chaotic situations. Chief Downey achieved almost 
mythical status among his colleagues.
  Mr. Speaker, I would just like to say on a personal note, being 
married to a battalion chief in the Hampton Fire Department for 30 
years, I know what these firefighters go through and I know what they 
are like, and I can just imagine what Mr. Downey did for his men that 
worked for him, and I know they are all very proud of him, as I am sure 
all of New York is.
  Since September 11, we have heard countless stories of heroic acts 
from members of New York's Fire Department. And yet, even in an 
organization filled with great men and women, Chief Raymond Downey 
stood out. That he would die in just the type of disaster for which he 
had received world acclaim was no surprise to those who knew him. For 
almost 40 years, he had been running into buildings as everyone else 
was running out.
  Raymond Downey was a cornerstone of the New York Fire Department. His 
commitment to public service and his fellow man will forever linger in 
the hearts and minds of New Yorkers and all Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, it is fitting that we honor the memory of this great 
American hero by renaming the post office at 375 Carlls Path in Deer 
Park New York as the Raymond M. Downey Post Office Building. He is 
deserving of this great tribute. I urge all Members to support this 
important resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ISRAEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise today not simply to honor a constituent but, rather, to honor 
a national treasure, Raymond Downey. Heroes are known not only for 
their deeds but also for their rarity. New York lost many heroes on 
September 11, Ray Downey epitomized their courage.
  At 63, he had been a New York firefighter for nearly 40 years. He led 
the Special Operations Command, and was probably the world's leading 
expert on rescues of collapsed buildings. When the World Trade Center 
was first attacked in 1993, Ray Downey led rescue operations at the 
World Trade Center. When the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma was 
bombed, Chief Downey was the natural choice to oversee the search and 
rescue efforts. On September 11, when planes crashed into the Twin 
Towers, of course Chief Downey would be there, sacrificing his own life 
so that thousands of others might live; giving his life doing the job 
he performed so nobly.
  Ray Downey gave his life side-by-side hundreds of New York rescue 
workers, thousands of New Yorkers. Almost everyone in my district knows 
someone who did not make it out of the World Trade Center that day. We 
are all prone to a sense of why some and not others. It is a question 
different people with different faiths will answer in different ways, 
but in the case of Chief Downey, we know why: It was because while 
everyone was running away from danger, Ray Downey and his comrades were 
rushing towards danger. He had been going in that direction for 39 
years as firefighter.
  While everyone was running down the stairs of the Towers, Ray Downey 
was going into those buildings, going up the stairs, an act of heroism 
that allowed thousands of innocent men and women to return home to 
their families that night. He was an inspiration to all who saw him 
that morning. He will be an inspiration to all who will know him 
throughout history. In the words of Reverend Billy Graham, ``courage is 
contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are 
stiffened.'' On September 11, Ray Downey took a noble stand.
  There were over 300 firefighters who lost their lives running up the 
stairs, running into the very face of danger on September 11. I have 
been to countless memorial services for the almost 100 people in my 
district who have been lost. This weekend, I went to Ray Downey's. The 
turnout was immense, huge, commensurate to his standing in his 
community and his country. He was a rock of strength and courage to his 
fellow firefighters, to the people of New York, and his community of 
Deer Park.
  We have come to know a lot of heroes in New York since September. 
Even among heroes, Ray Downey was something special, something truly 
extraordinary. His colleagues knew that. They called him God. He was 
not God. He was not immortal. And the risks he took running into a 
dangerous building were just as great as they were for anyone else. To 
give his life to save others, that is what made him a hero.
  When Ray Downey and his 300 men raced up the staircases of the World 
Trade Center, they surely knew what the likely outcome would be. Yet 
they chose others' lives over their own. They chose professionalism 
over self-interest. They looked directly into the face of death and 
made us all brave. They were frightened in those last moments, of 
course, but they kept moving up to death, guiding people down to life. 
In the words of the poet, ``courage is not the absence of fear, it is 
the conquest of it.''
  Ray Downey. We will not see his likes again in our lifetime, and that 
is why the naming of the Deer Park Post Office as the Raymond Downey 
Post Office is so appropriate a tribute.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. King).
  Mr. KING. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this 
time, and I am proud to join with my colleague, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Israel) this afternoon.
  Ray Downey was a legend in the New York City Fire Department. He and 
I grew up in the same department in Queens. He is a man who dedicated 
his life to saving other lives. And as the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Israel) said, when 25,000 people were coming down the stairs, Ray 
Downey, at the age of 63, when he could have been sitting behind a 
desk, was going into a building to rescue thousands of people, and he 
certainly deserves whatever accolades we can give him. But more 
important than that, he has the accolades of all those who knew and 
loved him.
  Mr. ISRAEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, at Raymond Downey's memorial service, his daughter Kathy 
recited a poem I would like to share. It is entitled Our Angel.
  ``On that dreadful day we huddled in prayer, hearts joined in sorrow, 
pain difficult to bear. Our angels climbed up, as they helped others 
down. The Towers may have fallen, but our bravest never touched the 
ground. They kept soaring up to that heavenly cloud, shining strength 
down on us, we are grateful and proud. So please say a prayer as a 
tribute to those whose love never faltered and eternally grows.''
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the 
balance of my time. I commend the distinguished gentleman from New York 
(Mr. Israel) for introducing this legislation and working so hard to 
ensure its passage.
  I again urge all Members to support this important resolution and to 
reflect upon this great American, Raymond Downey, for the tremendous 
devotion that he gave to all New Yorkers during his tenure with the New 
York Fire Department.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Culberson). The question is on the 
motion offered by the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Jo Ann Davis) 
that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3379.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.

[[Page 26407]]


  Mr. ISRAEL. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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