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16112 Montgomery, Robert Alexander
July 07, 1924 - August 19, 1986

usma1946

 

 MEMORIAL ARTICLE
Published Assembly Mar '90

Robert Alexander Montgomery NO.16112 Class of 1946 Died 19 August 1986 in Norman, Oklahoma, aged 62 years.
Interment: Denver Cemetery, Norman, Oklahoma

Robert Alexander Montgomery, known affectionately as Bob, was born in Terre Haute, Indiana on 7 July 1924. His father, Colonel H. A. Montgomery, was USMA Class of 1918. Traveling with his family during his formative years, Bob graduated from high school at Central High School, Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1942. One semester at Tulsa University preceded his entrance into West Point on 1 July 1943 with the Class of 1946. Plebe math gave Bob many anxious moments; in fact, he was "turned out" both in December and June during his plebe year. His roommate recalls being impressed by his calm self-confidence during these examinations. He was a "spoony" cadet whose shoes and brass were always shined to a high degree. Although he was an Army brat, Bob was something of a free and independent spirit who enjoyed trying to push the limits of regulations. This battle was usually won by the "Tacs," resulting in his spending more than his share of time walking the area. He had a tremendous determination to get through West Point and this spirit enabled him to overcome any obstacle.

Commissioned in the Infantry, Bob was first assigned to the 17th Infantry Regiment. This was followed by a tour with the Korean Military Advisory Group where he helped the Korean Military Academy staff prepare a program to bridge the gap between training and education. From Korea, Bob joined the 14th Regimental Combat Team at Fort Carson, Colorado. In 1951 he was assigned to the Canal Zone, first as a company commander, then as an operations and training officer. In 1954, Bob joined the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence, Department of the Army. 1957 saw Bob return to Korea as intelligence officer for the 1st Battle Group, 8th Cavalry Regiment. Bob was assigned as an instructor at the Infantry School in 1959 where he stayed until 1964. At that time he went to Headquarters, Central Army Group, North Atlantic Treaty Organization. as an operations officer. 1967 again saw Bob heading to the Far East, this time to Vietnam. He served as senior regional force advisor in one of four Vietnamese Corps Tactical Zones. Bob's last assignment before he retired in 1969 was at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas as post inspector general.

After retirement, Bob went to work at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. He started off as an administrator on the staff of the director of personnel, and when he retired just before his death, he was assistant director of personnel. In his work at the university, Bob brought the same principles that were his standards throughout his active duty career. The director of personnel at the University of Oklahoma while Bob was there was Mr. Len Harper. The following are excerpts from a letter Mr. Harper wrote to provide his impressions of Bob for this article: "We worked closely together during those years and I grew to appreciate Bob immensely as a professional, a colleague, and a friend. Bob epitomized the application of honesty and integrity, in all his work. He was true to these virtues without a fault and accordingly, became a person that our faculty and staff respected and knew they could trust. He was at once a firm disciplinarian and a loving, caring human being. He was rare indeed in his consistent demonstration of these qualities; a fact which commanded the admiration of all who knew him and counted on him for anything. I also remember Bob as being loyal. He was unquestionably loyal to his family and his country. Beyond that, I knew him as loyal to his faith, his employer, his colleagues, and always loyal to 'rightness' wherever he found a need for it. I doubt that I shall ever again know a person who could exceed Bob's diligence to living a principled life."

As an Army brat and moving all during his active duty days, when Bob retired to Oklahoma, he bought 20 acres of land. He spent most of his spare time improving it with his own labor. His dream was to spend most of his time there after his second retirement-but that was not to be. Early in 1985, Bob underwent surgery for lung cancer. Before the Class of 1946's 40th Reunion, two of Bob's roommates were in touch with him about attending. Both commented about Bob's courage and continuing good humor under such trying circumstances. He had hoped to attend the 40th, but his health just would not allow it. Eighteen months after his surgery Bob died. With the help of hospice, his loving wife Jean and his children kept him at home where he died. The irony is that Bob had worked to form a hospice in Norman, and after his second retirement, he and Jean were going to work for the hospice as a team.

Bob loved his family. He often said that the Army was one of the few professions where you could serve your country, have challenging and rewarding assignments, see the world and raise a large family. He is survived by his wife Jean and their children Patrick, Michael, Thomas, Catherine, Elizabeth, Christopher and Denise. Bob planned his own funeral. He asked for an evening mass with music played by bagpipes. The following are excerpts from the funeral homily for Bob: "That Bob was a man of faith was evident to all who knew him. In the years he spent serving his country in the Army, in the years he worked here at Oklahoma University, Bob lived as a man of faith. And towards the end of his life, when illness began to weigh him down, his faith was so strong that you could almost touch it. Bob lived well and Bob died well because Bob lived and died with the Lord. This was Bob's second treasure, his relationship with his family. Nothing was more important to him than loving them and providing for them and helping them to grow into the fine men and women they are today. And it's interesting because, just like his first treasure, his relationship with the lord, this second treasure was so easy to see during Bob's last days. Almost all families rally during difficult times. But I've never seen a family pull together with more love and care and strength than the Montgomerys. Just as their daddy was good to them, they were very good to their daddy.

When the priest who delivered the homily asked Bob's children what they admired most about their father, they replied in unison. "His integrity!" Bob's wife Jean added, "The world is a better place because he lived in it." To Bob Montgomery, Duty, Honor, and Country were not just words. They were the tenets by which he lived every moment of his life. Bob's race is run, to which we must give an unqualified. "Well Done!"

'46 Memorial Project and his wife Jean

 

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