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 De-
partment of Veterans Affairs in Butte, Montana, as the 
‘‘Charlie Dowd VA Clinic’’. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Charles ‘‘Charlie’’ Arthur Dowd was born 
on December 23, 1923, in Rochester, New York. 
(2) In January 1941, during his senior year of 
high school, Charlie enlisted for service at sea in the 
Navy, where he was trained as a radioman and later 
stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 
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(3) On December 7, 1941, just after completing 
a night shift, Charlie and United States Naval forces 
positioned at Pearl Harbor came under attack by 
more than 300 enemy aircraft belonging to the Im-
perial Japanese Navy Air Service. 
(4) During the attack on the heart of the 
United States Pacific Fleet, which would severely 
damage 21 ships and claim the lives of 2,400 Ameri-
cans, Charlie emerged in only his t-shirt and trou-
sers and sprinted from the barracks to the armory, 
where he climbed to the roof with a .30–06 Spring-
field rifle to fire at the Japanese pilots of low-flying 
torpedo bombers. 
(5) Following his bravery at Pearl Harbor, 
Charlie would go on to continue serving the Navy in 
both the Solomon Islands and New Guinea, where 
his fellow shipmates would give him the nickname of 
‘‘Devil Dog Dowd’’, for his unwavering willingness 
to volunteer for the most dangerous mission assign-
ments. 
(6) During the course of his service in the 
Navy, Charlie was awarded seven Bronze Star Med-
als. 
(7) After Charlie received an honorable dis-
charge from the Navy, he returned to the United 
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States, where he worked in masonry and carpentry 
construction, before completing his degree at the 
University of Florida. Upon graduation, he spent the 
next 18 years passing on his knowledge of industrial 
arts and drafting to high school students. 
(8) In 1984, as an avid sportsman with a pas-
sion for the outdoors, Charlie relocated to Anaconda, 
Montana. 
(9) Charlie was a vibrant and cherished mem-
ber of the local community in Anaconda, where he 
became the Secretary of the Anaconda Sportsmen’s 
Club and the Outdoor Writer for the Anaconda 
Leader newspaper. 
(10) Charlie was forever an advocate for his fel-
low veterans and dedicated to preserving the mem-
ory of the events of World War II and those who 
paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Until 
his dying days, Charlie was an active member of the 
Pearl Harbor Survivors Association and loved speak-
ing for civic groups and museums across Montana. 
SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF CHARLIE DOWD VA CLINIC. 
(a) DESIGNATION.—The community-based outpatient 
clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Butte, 
Montana, shall after the date of the enactment of this Act 
be known and designated as the ‘‘Charlie Dowd Depart-
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ment of Veterans Affairs Clinic’’ or the ‘‘Charlie Dowd 
VA Clinic’’. 
(b) REFERENCE.—Any reference in any law, regula-
tion, map, document, paper, or other record of the United 
States to the community-based outpatient clinic referred 
to in subsection (a) shall be considered to be a reference 
to the Charlie Dowd VA Clinic. 
Æ 
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