[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 50 (Tuesday, April 1, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H1867-H1868]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING JOHN MONTGOMERY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
public servant who has given a great deal not only to the State of 
North Carolina but to the country as a whole.
  Since 1972, Mr. John Montgomery has served the Department of Veterans 
Affairs on behalf of our Nation's veterans. Later this month, he will 
retire from his position as director of the VA regional office in 
Winston-Salem in North Carolina.
  Born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1944, Mr. Montgomery is an Army 
veteran who served in an artillery unit in Vietnam from January 1969 to 
April of 1970. He earned a bachelor's degree from Brown University in 
1967 and a law degree from Boston University in 1972. Mr. Montgomery 
began his VA career in Hartford, Connecticut regional office as a 
claims examiner in 1972. In 1975, he transferred to the VA central 
office in Washington, D.C. as a legal consultant, and 2 years later, he 
was

[[Page H1868]]

selected as the adjudication officer at the VA Medical and Regional 
Office Center in Togus, Maine. Mr. Montgomery was named director of the 
Providence, Rhode Island VA Regional Office in 1980.
  In February of 1995, he traveled to North Carolina to begin work in 
his current position as director of the VA Regional Office in Winston-
Salem, North Carolina. In this position, he has been responsible for 
administering federal benefits to 790,000 veterans and their families 
living in North Carolina. These services total more than $1.2 billion 
in annual benefit payments.
  The Winston-Salem Regional Office provides benefits and services in 
all program areas to veterans, servicemembers, and reservists residing 
in North Carolina. These programs include compensation, pension, loan 
guarantee, and vocational rehabilitation.
  From 1995 to 2007, Mr. Montgomery oversaw the growth of the Winston-
Salem Office from 240 employees to 530 employees. During this period, 
the office grew to the second largest disability office in the United 
States.
  In 2005, he was successful in having Winston-Salem selected as one of 
only two national benefits delivery at discharge sites at regional 
offices. This achievement created an additional 55 professional full-
time positions and helped to ensure that the regional office would be a 
key player in the VA for many years to come.
  As director, Mr. Montgomery has supported the veteran community in 
hiring practices as well as in claims disability work. Of the 516 
employees hired at the regional offices in the last 10 years, 260 were 
veterans, and of that number, 127 were disabled veterans.
  Each year, I visit the Winston-Salem Regional Office to learn about 
the work being done there and, more importantly, to personally thank 
the VA employees for all they do on behalf of our Nation's veterans. It 
was during one of these visits that I was struck by a letter I saw 
hanging on the wall of Mr. Montgomery's office. His family had received 
a letter from President Franklin D. Roosevelt after losing a loved one 
in World War II. And I quote President Roosevelt's letter.
  ``He stands in the unbroken line of patriots who have dared to die 
that freedom might live and grow, and increase its blessings. Freedom 
lives, and through it, he lives, in a way that humbles the undertakings 
of most men.''
  I am so grateful that my friendship with Mr. Montgomery led me to 
this wonderful quote, which I have since shared in my own letters to 
families who have lost a loved one in Afghanistan or Iraq.
  During my visits, Mr. Montgomery has generously acted as my guide and 
has introduced me to employees and visiting veterans. I have witnessed 
firsthand all of the great work being done by Mr. Montgomery and his 
staff to take care of our Nation's veterans. They have excelled in 
their efforts to reduce the number of pending claims while still 
maintaining the accuracy of their case audits.
  In closing, Madam Speaker, I wish to congratulate Mr. Montgomery on 
his retirement and his long and successful career of service with the 
Department of Veterans Affairs. Through his work on behalf of our 
Nation's veterans, he has earned the respect of so many people, and I 
know he will be missed.
  John Montgomery, thank you for a job well done. I wish you all the 
best for a long and happy retirement. May God bless you and your family 
in the years ahead, and may God bless our men and women in uniform, and 
may God bless America.

                          ____________________