Robert Miller Montague
Encyclopedia
Robert Miller Montague was a Lieutenant General
in the United States Army
. He achieved prominence as the deputy commander of Fort Bliss, Texas and commander of the Sandia Missile Base
in New Mexico
during the start of modern ufology
and head of the U.S. Caribbean Command.
on August 7, 1899. He attended the University of Oregon
and then transferred to the United States Military Academy
, from which he graduated in 1918 with a commission as a second lieutenant of Artillery
.
. As many other students from his class did, Montague carried out a Europe
an observation tour for most of 1919, enhancing his professional knowledge by visiting battlefields in France
, Belgium
, and Germany
, compiling after action reports, and interviewing battlefield veterans.
He then carried out numerous assignments throughout the United States
, including serving as an instructor at the United States Military Academy
in the 1930s.
In 1933 Montague graduated from the Field Artillery Advanced Course.
Montague completed the Command and General Staff College
in 1938.
. He also served as acting division commander on several occasions.
From 1947 to 1951 Montague was the commander of the Sandia Missile Base
near Albuquerque, New Mexico
.
Montague served as the head of plans, operations and training, G-3, for the United States European Command
from 1951 to 1952.
From 1952 to 1955 Montague was assigned as deputy commander of Army Field Forces
, based at Fort Monroe, Virginia.
Montague commanded the U.S. I Corps in South Korea
from 1955 to 1957.
with supposed jurisdiction over the White Sands Missile Range
at the time of the Roswell Incident, and later as commander of the Sandia Base
, Montague is presumed by many UFO researchers to have been made aware of an alleged spacecraft crash near Roswell, New Mexico
or to have had a hand in covering up evidence of the alleged crash, and his name routinely appears in UFO magazines, books and other media.
. He did not recover, and died on February 20 from a cerebral hemorrhage at Gorgas Hospital
, Balboa, Panama Canal Zone
.
Robert M. Montague is buried at Arlington National Cemetery
, Section 30, Site 533 RH.
, the Legion of Merit
and two awards of the Bronze Star.
Robert M. Montague, Jr., (October 22, 1924 – October 15, 1996), who graduated from West Point in 1947 and was one of the early U.S. strategists of the Vietnam War
. After retiring from the Army the younger Montague served as executive director of the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation
and the Special Olympics
.
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...
in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. He achieved prominence as the deputy commander of Fort Bliss, Texas and commander of the Sandia Missile Base
Sandia Base
Sandia Base was, from 1946 to 1971, the principal nuclear weapons installation of the United States Department of Defense. It was located on the southeastern edge of Albuquerque, New Mexico...
in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
during the start of modern ufology
Ufology
Ufology is a neologism coined to describe the collective efforts of those who study reports and associated evidence of unidentified flying objects . UFOs have been subject to various investigations over the years by governments, independent groups, and scientists...
and head of the U.S. Caribbean Command.
Early life
Montague was born in Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
on August 7, 1899. He attended the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
and then transferred to the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
, from which he graduated in 1918 with a commission as a second lieutenant of Artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
.
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 IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. As many other students from his class did, Montague carried out a Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an observation tour for most of 1919, enhancing his professional knowledge by visiting battlefields in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, 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
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, including serving as an instructor at the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
in the 1930s.
In 1933 Montague graduated from the Field Artillery Advanced Course.
Montague completed the Command and General Staff College
Command and General Staff College
The United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military officers. The college was established in 1881 by William Tecumseh Sherman as a...
in 1938.
World War II
From 1944 to 1945 Montague was commander of the 83rd Infantry Division Artillery in the European Theater of OperationsEuropean Theater of Operations
The European Theater of Operations, United States Army was a United States Army formation which directed U.S. Army operations in parts of Europe from 1942 to 1945. It referred to Army Ground Forces, United States Army Air Forces, and Army Service Forces operations north of Italy and the...
. 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 Fort Bliss, Texas.From 1947 to 1951 Montague was the commander of the Sandia Missile Base
Sandia Base
Sandia Base was, from 1946 to 1971, the principal nuclear weapons installation of the United States Department of Defense. It was located on the southeastern edge of Albuquerque, New Mexico...
near Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
.
Montague served as the head of plans, operations and training, G-3, for the United States European Command
United States European Command
The United States European Command is one of ten Unified Combatant Commands of the United States military, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Its area of focus covers and 51 countries and territories, including Europe, Russia, Iceland, Greenland, and Israel...
from 1951 to 1952.
From 1952 to 1955 Montague was assigned as deputy commander of Army Field Forces
Army Ground Forces
The Army Ground Forces were one of the three autonomous components of the Army of the United States during World War II, the others being the Army Air Forces and Army Service Forces. Throughout their existence, Army Ground Forces were the largest training organization ever established in the United...
, based at Fort Monroe, Virginia.
Montague commanded the U.S. I Corps in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
from 1955 to 1957.
Connection to UFO studies
As deputy commander of Fort BlissFort Bliss
Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in the U.S. states of New Mexico and Texas. With an area of about , it is the Army's second-largest installation behind the adjacent White Sands Missile Range. It is FORSCOM's largest installation, and has the Army's largest Maneuver Area behind the...
with supposed jurisdiction over the White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range
White Sands Missile Range is a rocket range of almost in parts of five counties in southern New Mexico. The largest military installation in the United States, WSMR includes the and the WSMR Otera Mesa bombing range...
at the time of the Roswell Incident, and later as commander of the Sandia Base
Sandia Base
Sandia Base was, from 1946 to 1971, the principal nuclear weapons installation of the United States Department of Defense. It was located on the southeastern edge of Albuquerque, New Mexico...
, Montague is presumed by many UFO researchers to have been made aware of an alleged spacecraft crash near Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County in the southeastern quarter of the state of New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,366 at the 2010 census. It is a center for irrigation farming, dairying, ranching, manufacturing, distribution, and petroleum production. It is also...
or to have had a hand in covering up evidence of the alleged crash, and his name routinely appears in UFO magazines, books and other media.
Commander, U.S. Caribbean Command
In 1957 Montague was appointed to command the U.S. Caribbean Defense Command, 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 AmericaSouth America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. He did not recover, and died on February 20 from a cerebral hemorrhage at Gorgas Hospital
Gorgas Hospital
Gorgas Hospital was a U.S. Army hospital in Panama City, Panama named for Army Surgeon General William C. Gorgas .Built on the site of an earlier French hospital called L'Hospital Notre Dame de Canal, it was originally christened Ancon Hospital by the Americans. It was originally built of wood,...
, Balboa, Panama Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
.
Robert M. Montague is buried at Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
, Section 30, Site 533 RH.
Awards and decorations
General Montague received the Distinguished Service MedalDistinguished Service Medal (Army)
The Distinguished Service Medal is a military award of the United States Army that is presented to any person who, while serving in any capacity with the United States military, has distinguished himself or herself by exceptionally meritorious service to the Government in a duty of great...
, the Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
and two awards of the Bronze Star.
Personal
Robert Miller Montague was the father of Brigadier GeneralBrigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
Robert M. Montague, Jr., (October 22, 1924 – October 15, 1996), who graduated from West Point in 1947 and was one of the early U.S. strategists of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. After retiring from the Army the younger Montague served as executive director of the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation
Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation
The Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation is a non-profit foundation founded by Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. in 1946 in memory of his son Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.. The foundation was led by his youngest brother, U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy, until his death in 2009. The foundation funded the...
and the Special Olympics
Special Olympics
Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....
.
External Resources
- Find A Grave page, Robert Miller Montague, accessed May 8, 2011