Brothers in Service: Honoring Their Father’s Legacy

For Patrick and James Dowdell, their childhood was filled with days of surfing near their home in Queens and playing the bagpipes in the backyard with their father, Kevin. The three Dowdells were best friends, spending every second they could together when Kevin wasn’t at work as a firefighter with the FDNY. 

Kevin Dowdell joined the FDNY in 1990 and by September 11, 2001, had reached the rank of lieutenant. He responded to Oklahoma City after the 1995 bombing with FEMA, and to the World Trade Center attack in 1993. On 9/11, Kevin responded with the other men from his firehouse, Rescue 4 in Queens, NY. His whereabouts that day, however, were largely unknown until a Halligan bar, a firefighting tool, was found in the South Tower engraved with “KD R4”. The marking stood for “Kevin Dowdell, Rescue 4”. Unfortunately, Kevin’s remains were never recovered. In honor their father, both James and Patrick both decided to pursue a life of service.

In 2001, Patrick was a freshman at Iona University. That summer, he was preparing his application to West Point after being waitlisted the year before. Kevin had worked closely with Patrick on his application, and after his father’s death, Patrick decided to complete the application process. In 2002, Patrick was accepted and began his studies at West Point, graduating in 2006. Following graduation, he served two deployments, one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. Patrick says that he views his decision to enlist and deploy as a way to honor his father’s legacy.

On 9/11, James was a student at Xavier High School, several miles north of the World Trade Center. From a very young age, James knew he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps by becoming an FDNY firefighter. This took on an even deeper significance after his father’s death. When James graduated from the FDNY Fire Academy in 2006, he was given the same badge number as his father. Currently, James is assigned to Rescue 2 in Brooklyn. In 2025, he was promoted to lieutenant, his father’s rank, on what would have been his father’s 70th birthday.