Sonny Montgomery Dies
 Former Mississippi Congressman Gillespie V. “Sonny” Montgomery, a retired National Guard two-star general and one of the Guard’s most important congressional advocates during the second half of the 20th century, has died.
Sonny Montgomery, Father of Montgomery G.I. Bill dies at 85
 ARLINGTON, Va. (Army News Service, May 15, 2006) – Former Mississippi Congressman Gillespie V. “Sonny” Montgomery, a retired National Guard two-star general and one of the Guard’s most important congressional advocates during the second half of the 20th century, has died.
Montgomery was 85 when he died May 12 at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center in his native Meridian, Miss., after a long illness.
He authored the 1984 Montgomery G.I. Bill that made it possible for many service members, including National Guard Soldiers and Airmen, to acquire post-secondary educations, and he championed the needs of veterans during his 30 years in Congress.
“Congressman ‘Sonny’ Montgomery’s contributions to the men and women of the National Guard and the other military services are beyond measure,” said Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau. “He did so many things to help define and shape our Guard force that enabled us to transform from a strategic reserve into an operational entity and equal partner with the other military services for the 21st century’s Global War on Terrorism.”
The G.I. Bill, Montgomery’s most enduring legacy, was formalized by Congress in 1987. Tens of thousands of Guard members took advantage of the program, a National Guard Bureau historian has stated, and it is credited with boosting recruiting for the entire all-volunteer force.
President George W. Bush awarded Montgomery the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest American civilian honor, in November 2005.
Montgomery served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1967-97. He was chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee for 13 years.
He also served in the Army and Army National Guard for 35 years. He was a lieutenant in the 12th Armored Division in Europe during World War II. He was mobilized as an Army Guard officer with the 31st Infantry Division for the Korean War and remained on active duty until 1952. He retired from the Mississippi Guard as a state major general in 1980.
Montgomery’s memory is perpetuated in many places, including within the National Guard world.
A gunnery range at the Camp Shelby training facility in Mississippi was named the G.V. Montgomery Multi-Purpose Range Complex in December 2005. That, coincidentally, is the facility where many National Guard Soldiers are undergoing training before deploying for combat duty overseas.
The National Guard Association of the United States’ second highest award bears Montgomery’s name, and the largest meeting room in the association’s National Guard Memorial in Washington is named for him.
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