118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3285 

AN ACT 

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, 
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†S 3285 ES

1 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

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

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

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

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

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

8 stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 

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

10 a night shift, Charlie and United States Naval forces 

11 positioned at Pearl Harbor came under attack by 

12 more than 300 enemy aircraft belonging to the Im13 perial Japanese Navy Air Service. 

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

15 United States Pacific Fleet, which would severely 

16 damage 21 ships and claim the lives of 2,400 Ameri17 cans, Charlie emerged in only his t-shirt and trou18 sers and sprinted from the barracks to the armory, 

19 where he climbed to the roof with a .30–06 Spring20 field rifle to fire at the Japanese pilots of low-flying 

21 torpedo bombers. 

22 (5) Following his bravery at Pearl Harbor, 

23 Charlie would go on to continue serving the Navy in 

24 both the Solomon Islands and New Guinea, where 

25 his fellow shipmates would give him the nickname of 

26 ‘‘Devil Dog Dowd’’, for his unwavering willingness 
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1 to volunteer for the most dangerous mission assign2 ments. 

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

4 Navy, Charlie was awarded seven Bronze Star Med5 als. 

6 (7) After Charlie received an honorable dis7 charge from the Navy, he returned to the United 

8 States, where he worked in masonry and carpentry 

9 construction, before completing his degree at the 

10 University of Florida. Upon graduation, he spent the 

11 next 18 years passing on his knowledge of industrial 

12 arts and drafting to high school students. 

13 (8) In 1984, as an avid sportsman with a pas14 sion for the outdoors, Charlie later relocated to Ana15 conda, Montana. 

16 (9) Charlie was a vibrant and cherished mem17 ber of the local community in Anaconda, where he 

18 became the Secretary of the Anaconda Sportsmen’s 

19 Club and the Outdoor Writer for the Anaconda 

20 Leader newspaper. 

21 (10) Charlie was forever an advocate for his fel22 low veterans and dedicated to preserving the mem23 ory of the events of World War II and those who 

24 paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Until 

25 his dying days, Charlie was an active member of the 
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1 Pearl Harbor Survivors Association and loved speak2 ing for civic groups and museums across Montana. 

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

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

5 clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Butte, 

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

7 be known and designated as the ‘‘Charlie Dowd Depart8 ment of Veterans Affairs Clinic’’ or the ‘‘Charlie Dowd 

9 VA Clinic’’. 

10 (b) REFERENCE.—Any reference in any law, regula11 tion, map, document, paper, or other record of the United 

12 States to the community-based outpatient clinic referred 

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

14 to the Charlie Dowd VA Clinic. 

Passed the Senate May 2, 2024. 

Attest: 

Secretary. 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3285 

AN ACT 

To rename the community-based outpatient clinic 

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