Robert "Bob" Miller Montague Jr. (1924–1996) was an American brigadier general. He was also the Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for All-Volunteer Force Action.[1] Montague was one of the earliest strategists of the Vietnam War.
Robert Miller Montague Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 22, 1924 Hawaii, US |
| Died | October 11, 1996 (aged 71) Washington, D.C. |
| Buried | |
| Service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1947–1974 |
| Rank |  Brigadier general |
| Unit | Field Artillery Branch |
| Commands | Army Recruiting Command (United States) |
| Battles / wars | Vietnam War |
Biography
editGen. Montague was born in Hawaii on October 22, 1924. He was the son of Robert Miller Montague, a Commander of the U.S. Caribbean Command.[2] His formative years were spent in a number of peacetime Army posts.[3] These included the time he stayed at Forth Leavenworth, where he completed his primary education and junior high school.[3] He then completed his high school at Woodrow Wilson High School in 1942. Before he was accepted to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, he was already in his second year at Purdue University.[3] He was admitted to the Academy as a Qualified Alternate from Louisville, Kentucky.[3] He graduated top of the Class of 1947.[4]
In the 1950s, Montague worked for the Defense Department and Atomic Energy Commission during these agencies' development of nuclear warheads.[4] He continued working for the Department of Defense during the tenure of Secretary Robert McNamara. He established the first systems-analysis office at the Department of Army headquarters.[4]
When he was a colonel, Montague became part of Ambassador Robert W. Komer's personal staff during the latter's administration of the Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support (CORDS) program in Vietnam.[5] He became an aide to Komer both in the White House and Saigon. In November 1970, he joined the Special Assistant for the Modern Volunteer Army (SAMVA), where he was noted for his innovations in all-volunteer concept work. Prior to 1970, he was the commander of the 5th Infantry Division Artillery at Fort Carson, Colorado.[5] He retired from service in 1974.[4]
Retirement
editAfter retirement, Montague founded R.M. Montague and Associates. He also became the executive director of Special Olympics International, which oversaw a $150 million sports program for mentally retarded persons.[4] He had also worked as head of the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation.[4]
Personal life
editMontague was married to Christa Montague. The couple had three children, David, John, and Jeanie. He died of cancer on October 11, 1996, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.[4]
References
edit- ^ United States Congress House Committee on Appropriations (1972). Department of Defense Appropriations for 1973. Washington, D.C.: USGPO. p. 62.
- ^ "GEN. MONTAGUE SHIFTED; Commander of Corps in Far East Will Go to Canal Zone". The New York Times. 1956-10-09. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-13.
- ^ a b c d Assembly. Association of Graduates, United States Military Academy. 1999. p. 194.
- ^ a b c d e f g "GEN. ROBERT MONTAGUE JR. DIES". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- ^ a b Griffith, Robert K. (1996). The U.S. Army's Transition to the All-volunteer Force, 1968–1974. Center of Military History. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-16-045352-6.