II 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1731 

To designate the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Muskogee, 

Oklahoma, as the Jack C. Montgomery Department of Veterans Affairs 

Medical Center. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 20, 2005 

Mr. COBURN (for himself and Mr. INHOFE) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To designate the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical 

Center in Muskogee, Oklahoma, as the Jack C. Montgomery Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. 

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 makes the following findings: 

5 (1) Jack C. Montgomery was awarded the 

6 Medal of Honor, the highest honor for valor awarded 

7 to members of the Armed Forces, for his actions 

8 near Padiglione, Italy, on February 22, 1944, result-
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1 ing in 11 enemy dead and the taking of 32 pris2 oners. 

3 (2) Jack Montgomery was proud to be of Cher4 okee Indian ancestry. 

5 (3) Jack Montgomery was born at Long, Okla6 homa, in Sequoyah County before the Great Depres7 sion and enlisted in the 45th Division Thunderbirds 

8 of the Oklahoma National Guard while attending 

9 Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma. 

10 (4) In addition to being awarded the Medal of 

11 Honor during his service in World War II, Jack 

12 Montgomery was awarded the Silver Star, the 

13 Bronze Star, the Purple Heart with Cluster (wound14 ed more than once), and many other military honors. 

15 (5) Jack Montgomery was awarded the Medal 

16 of Honor personally by President Franklin D. Roo17 sevelt. 

18 (6) On his release from the Army after World 

19 War II, Jack Montgomery began a career with the 

20 Veterans’ Administration in Muskogee, Oklahoma. 

21 (7) When the Korean War began and the 45th 

22 Division was activated for service, Jack Montgomery 

23 attempted to rejoin the Armed Forces for service in 

24 Korea. 
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1 (8) On learning that recipients of the Medal of 

2 Honor cannot return to active duty and serve in 

3 combat, Jack Montgomery volunteered to serve as 

4 an instructor at Fort Benning, Georgia. 

5 (9) After his discharge from service in the 

6 Armed Forces in March 1953, Jack Montgomery re7 turned to service with the Veterans’ Administration 

8 in the State of Oklahoma. 

9 (10) After retiring from the Veterans’ Adminis10 tration, Jack Montgomery volunteered at the De11 partment of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 

12 Muskogee, Oklahoma, where he worked more than 

13 750 hours driving a shuttle to transport veterans 

14 from the parking lot to the hospital 

15 (11) Jack Montgomery died on June 11, 2002, 

16 at age 84. 

17 SEC. 2. JACK C. MONTGOMERY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

18 AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Department of Veterans Af20 fairs medical center in Muskogee, Oklahoma, shall after 

21 the date of the enactment of this Act be known and des22 ignated as the ‘‘Jack C. Montgomery Department of Vet23 erans Affairs Medical Center’’. 

24 (b) REFERENCES.—Any reference in any law, regula25 tion, map, document, record, or other paper of the United 
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1 States to the medical center referred to in subsection (a) 

2 shall be considered to be a reference to the Jack C. Mont3 gomery Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. 

Æ