Steve Israel: “I rise today not simply to honor a constituent but, rather, to honor a national treasure, Raymond Downey. Heroes are…”

“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.”