U.S. SENATE – Ahead of Memorial Day, U.S. Senator Steve Daines attended a ceremony at the Butte VA Outpatient Clinic, which was renamed today to the “Charlie Dowd Veteran Affairs Clinic.” Charlie Dowd passed away in March 2023 and was Montana’s last survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Dowd was an advocate for his fellow veterans and dedicated to preserving the memory of the events of World War II and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Dowd was an active member of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association and spoke for civic groups and at museums across Montana. During the course of his service, Dowd was awarded seven bronze star medals.
Daines memorialized Dowd’s legacy with a Congressional Record in 2018, and introduced the bill to rename this clinic in his honor in 2023.
Read Daines’ remarks as prepared for delivery below.
Thank you for being here today.
To the members of Charlie Dowd’s family: Justin and Becky, thank you.
I can’t think of a better way to kick off Memorial Day weekend than by spending it in Butte.
Montana is home to nearly 100,000 veterans. As the proud son of a United States Marine, I think it’s safe to say each one of our veterans has his or her own story.
And each one is a hero is his or her own right.
Today we honor Anaconda’s own Charlie Dowd. I was proud to champion the bill in the Senate to rename Butte’s VA facility in his honor.
Actually, this bill is my fifth renaming bill since being elected to the Senate.
Charlie joins the likes of Montana war heroes Doolittle Raider David Thatcher, Bataan Death March Survivor Ben Steele, Tribal War Chief of the Crow Nation Dr. Joe Medicine Crow, and Medal of Honor Recipient Travis Atkins.
What do these men have in common? They epitomize the Montana spirit of service, courage, and selfless sacrifice.
When the enemy was at its fiercest, these men stood above the rest, standing boldly without concern for their own safety.
Their bravery saved countless lives.
Today I’d like to talk about Charlie’s story. Many of you have already heard it but like the stories of all of these heroes, it bears repeating. Especially as we enter Memorial Day weekend.
After all, it was their duty to serve. It is our duty to remember.
Charlie Dowd was a Montanan through and through and a member of our nation’s Greatest Generation.
Our veterans are the ultimate example of what it means to be selfless. Charlie Dowd served his country in the most selfless way possible.
Charlie first joined the Navy in 1941, prior to World War II, when he was just 17 years old.
After training, he was assigned to his station in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
On December 7th, like so many who were stationed at Pearl Harbor, Charlie did not hesitate when we were attacked and ran straight toward danger to defend his country.
Wearing just a t-shirt and trousers, Charlie sprinted to the armory, climbed to the roof with a Springfield rifle, and fired at the torpedo bombers.
During the attack he suffered burns on his arms and neck when the USS California, which was nearby, was engulfed in flames.
His bravery in that moment is both astonishing and inspiring. He had the Montana fighting spirit.
After Pearl Harbor, Charlie volunteered to serve in the Solomon Islands during the bloody campaign at Guadalcanal. He earned the nickname “Devil Dog Dowd,” a harkening to the Marines of Belleau Wood in World War One.
Once U.S. forces secured the islands, Charlie climbed a signal tower on the island of Tulagi and messaged a nearby destroyer that he was willing to exchange duties with any willing radioman. The ship’s commodore was the famous Captain Arleigh Burke who accepted his request.
In Burke’s stateroom, Dowd shared his experiences at Pearl Harbor and Tulagi Burke was so impressed by Dowd’s fighting spirit that he assigned Dowd as his Flag Radioman.
Burke later reached the rank of four-star Admiral and served as Chief of Naval Operations and Charlie was awarded seven bronze star medals.
I had the privilege of memorializing Charlie Dowd’s life of service with a Congressional Record in 2018.
Now, his legacy will be further cemented with the renaming of this VA Clinic.
Charlie was a brave sailor and a hero. He was never afraid to share his stories, always wanting to pass on the legacy of the Greatest Generation.
On behalf of a grateful nation, today we honor Charlie’s courage and service to our country. We thank his family for sharing him with us.
Our hope and prayer is that his memory, like the rest of the Greatest Generation, will live on and inspire future generations to sacrifice for a cause bigger than themselves.
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Contact: Matt Lloyd, Gabby Wiggins