Robert Miller Montague (7 August 1899 – 20 February 1958) was a

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. He achieved prominence as the deputy commander of

Fort Bliss, Texas A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

, commander of the Sandia Missile Base in

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

and head of the U.S. Caribbean Command.

Early life

Montague was born in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, on 7 August 1899. He attended the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

and then transferred to the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

at West Point, from which he graduated in 1918 with a commission as a second lieutenant of

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

World War I

Having graduated in November during a wartime expansion of the West Point student body, Montague began his career too late for active combat in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. As many other students from his class did, Montague carried out a

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an observation tour for most of 1919, enhancing his professional knowledge by visiting battlefields in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, compiling after action reports, and interviewing battlefield veterans.

Post World War I

Montague completed the Field Artillery Basic Course in 1920. He then carried out numerous assignments throughout the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, including serving as an instructor at the

in the 1930s. In 1933 Montague graduated from the Field Artillery Advanced Course. Montague completed the

Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

in 1938.

World War II

From 1944 to 1945 Montague was commander of the 83rd Infantry Division Artillery in the

European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater (warfare), theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It command ...

. He also served as acting division commander on several occasions.

Post World War II

From 1945 to 1947 Montague served as deputy commander of the Army's Air Defense Artillery Center at

. From 1947 to 1951 Montague was the commander of the Sandia Missile Base near

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

. Montague served as the head of plans, operations and training, G-3, for the

United States European Command The United States European Command (EUCOM) is one of the eleven Unified Combatant Command, unified combatant commands of the United States military, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Its area of focus covers and 51 countries and territori ...

from 1951 to 1952.''Who Was Who in America'', 1963, Volume 3, page 609''Assembly'', published by the West Point Alumni Association, 1951, Volumes 10-11, page 24 From 1952 to 1955 Montague was assigned as deputy commander of Army Field Forces, based at

Fort Monroe, Virginia Fort Monroe is a former military installation in Hampton, Virginia, at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula, United States. It is currently managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth ...

. Montague commanded the U.S. I Corps in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

from 1955 to 1957.

UFOlogy

Montague's name appears in some

UFO conspiracy theories Some conspiracy theories argue that various governments and politicians globally, in particular the United States government, are suppressing evidence that unidentified flying objects (UFO) are controlled by an extraterrestrial or "non-human" i ...

such as

Majestic 12 Majestic 12, also known as ''Majic-12'', and MJ-12 for short, is a purported organization that appeared in fake documents first circulated by ufologists in 1984, and that some UFO conspiracy theories still claim to have existed. The organization ...

Commander, U.S. Caribbean Command

In 1957 Montague was appointed to command the U.S.

Caribbean Defense Command The United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), located in Doral in Greater Miami, Florida, is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for providing contingency planning, ope ...

, the post he was still serving in when he died.

Death

General Montague was stricken with an intestinal illness in January 1958 after traveling extensively in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

. He did not recover, and died on February 20 from a cerebral hemorrhage at

Gorgas Hospital Gorgas Hospital was a U.S. Army hospital in Panama City, Panama, named for Army Surgeon General William C. Gorgas (18541920). Built on the site of an earlier (1882) French hospital called L'Hospital Notre Dame de Canal, it was originally (1904) ...

, Balboa,

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone (), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a International zone#Concessions, concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area gene ...

.Social Security Death Index Robert M. Montague is buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

, Section 30, Site 533 RH.

Awards and decorations

General Montague received the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation, state or country. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in act ...

, the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

and two awards of the

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

.Official U.S. Army Directory
published by U.S. Army Adjutant general, 1957, page 602Names of Fort Sill Streets and Buildings
published by Fort Sill Office of Administrative Services

Memorials

Montague Road at

Fort Sill Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (137 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark a ...

is named for him as is Montague Loop at

Fort Bliss Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in New Mexico and Texas, with its headquarters in El Paso, Texas. Established in 1848, the fort was renamed in 1854 to honor William Wallace Smith Bliss, Bvt.Lieut.Colonel William W.S. Bliss (1815–1853 ...

Personal

Robert Miller Montague was the father of Brigadier General Robert M. Montague, Jr., (22 October 1924 – 15 October 1996), who graduated from

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

in 1947 and was one of the early U.S. strategists of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. After retiring from the Army the younger Montague served as executive director of the

Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation The Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation is a non-profit foundation founded in memory of Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy killed in action during World War II, who was the elder brother of President John F. Kennedy. The foundation ...

and the

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 172 countries. Special Ol ...

References

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montague, Robert Miller 1899 births United States Army Field Artillery Branch personnel United States Military Academy alumni United States Army generals United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Military personnel from Portland, Oregon 1958 deaths Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Army generals of World War II