I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7154 

To rename the community-based outpatient clinic of the Department of 

Veterans Affairs in Butte, Montana, as the ‘‘Charlie Dowd VA Clinic’’. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 30, 2024 

Mr. ZINKE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To rename the community-based outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Butte, Montana, as the 

‘‘Charlie Dowd VA Clinic’’. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

4 Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) Charles ‘‘Charlie’’ Arthur Dowd was born 

6 on December 23, 1923, in Rochester, New York. 

7 (2) In January 1941, during his senior year of 

8 high school, Charlie enlisted for service at sea in the 

9 Navy, where he was trained as a radioman and later 

10 stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 


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1 (3) On December 7, 1941, just after completing 

2 a night shift, Charlie and United States Naval forces 

3 positioned at Pearl Harbor came under attack by 

4 more than 300 enemy aircraft belonging to the Im5 perial Japanese Navy Air Service. 

6 (4) During the attack on the heart of the 

7 United States Pacific Fleet, which would severely 

8 damage 21 ships and claim the lives of 2,400 Ameri9 cans, Charlie emerged in only his t-shirt and trou10 sers and sprinted from the barracks to the armory, 

11 where he climbed to the roof with a .30–06 Spring12 field rifle to fire at the Japanese pilots of low-flying 

13 torpedo bombers. 

14 (5) Following his bravery at Pearl Harbor, 

15 Charlie would go on to continue serving the Navy in 

16 both the Solomon Islands and New Guinea, where 

17 his fellow shipmates would give him the nickname of 

18 ‘‘Devil Dog Dowd’’, for his unwavering willingness 

19 to volunteer for the most dangerous mission assign20 ments. 

21 (6) During the course of his service in the 

22 Navy, Charlie was awarded seven Bronze Star Med23 als. 

24 (7) After Charlie received an honorable dis25 charge from the Navy, he returned to the United 


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1 States, where he worked in masonry and carpentry 

2 construction, before completing his degree at the 

3 University of Florida. Upon graduation, he spent the 

4 next 18 years passing on his knowledge of industrial 

5 arts and drafting to high school students. 

6 (8) In 1984, as an avid sportsman with a pas7 sion for the outdoors, Charlie relocated to Anaconda, 

8 Montana. 

9 (9) Charlie was a vibrant and cherished mem10 ber of the local community in Anaconda, where he 

11 became the Secretary of the Anaconda Sportsmen’s 

12 Club and the Outdoor Writer for the Anaconda 

13 Leader newspaper. 

14 (10) Charlie was forever an advocate for his fel15 low veterans and dedicated to preserving the mem16 ory of the events of World War II and those who 

17 paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Until 

18 his dying days, Charlie was an active member of the 

19 Pearl Harbor Survivors Association and loved speak20 ing for civic groups and museums across Montana. 

21 SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF CHARLIE DOWD VA CLINIC. 

22 (a) DESIGNATION.—The community-based outpatient 

23 clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Butte, 

24 Montana, shall after the date of the enactment of this Act 

25 be known and designated as the ‘‘Charlie Dowd DepartVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:48 Feb 03, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7154.IH H7154

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1 ment of Veterans Affairs Clinic’’ or the ‘‘Charlie Dowd 

2 VA Clinic’’. 

3 (b) REFERENCE.—Any reference in any law, regula4 tion, map, document, paper, or other record of the United 

5 States to the community-based outpatient clinic referred 

6 to in subsection (a) shall be considered to be a reference 

7 to the Charlie Dowd VA Clinic. 

Æ 


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