[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1731 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








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.

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

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Jack C. Montgomery was awarded the Medal of Honor, the 
        highest honor for valor awarded to members of the Armed Forces, 
        for his actions near Padiglione, Italy, on February 22, 1944, 
        resulting in 11 enemy dead and the taking of 32 prisoners.
            (2) Jack Montgomery was proud to be of Cherokee Indian 
        ancestry.
            (3) Jack Montgomery was born at Long, Oklahoma, in Sequoyah 
        County before the Great Depression and enlisted in the 45th 
        Division Thunderbirds of the Oklahoma National Guard while 
        attending Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma.
            (4) In addition to being awarded the Medal of Honor during 
        his service in World War II, Jack Montgomery was awarded the 
        Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart with Cluster 
        (wounded more than once), and many other military honors.
            (5) Jack Montgomery was awarded the Medal of Honor 
        personally by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
            (6) On his release from the Army after World War II, Jack 
        Montgomery began a career with the Veterans' Administration in 
        Muskogee, Oklahoma.
            (7) When the Korean War began and the 45th Division was 
        activated for service, Jack Montgomery attempted to rejoin the 
        Armed Forces for service in Korea.
            (8) On learning that recipients of the Medal of Honor 
        cannot return to active duty and serve in combat, Jack 
        Montgomery volunteered to serve as an instructor at Fort 
        Benning, Georgia.
            (9) After his discharge from service in the Armed Forces in 
        March 1953, Jack Montgomery returned to service with the 
        Veterans' Administration in the State of Oklahoma.
            (10) After retiring from the Veterans' Administration, Jack 
        Montgomery volunteered at the Department of Veterans Affairs 
        Medical Center in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where he worked more than 
        750 hours driving a shuttle to transport veterans from the 
        parking lot to the hospital
            (11) Jack Montgomery died on June 11, 2002, at age 84.

SEC. 2. JACK C. MONTGOMERY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL 
              CENTER.

    (a) In General.--The Department of Veterans Affairs medical center 
in Muskogee, Oklahoma, shall after the date of the enactment of this 
Act be known and designated as the ``Jack C. Montgomery Department of 
Veterans Affairs Medical Center''.
    (b) References.--Any reference in any law, regulation, map, 
document, record, or other paper of the United States to the medical 
center referred to in subsection (a) shall be considered to be a 
reference to the Jack C. Montgomery Department of Veterans Affairs 
Medical Center.
                                 <all>