79S30280 MMS-D
By: Hilderbran H.R. No. 48
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, A loving family and host of friends celebrate the
life of Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Paul Bruce Montague of Bandera,
who passed away on February 9, 2006, at the age of 81; and
WHEREAS, Born on his family's ranch in Bandera on August 18,
1924, Mr. Montague graduated from Central Catholic High School in
San Antonio and later earned a degree in business administration
from St. Mary's University; he entered the United States Marine
Corps at the age of 18, and after completing boot camp he attended
the ordnance school in Norman, Oklahoma, where he took "high man"
honors; and
WHEREAS, An air gunner in World War II and in postwar China,
Colonel Montague subsequently served in the Korean War, flying 147
combat missions and earning the Distinguished Flying Cross; he also
earned the Bronze Medal in Korea for directing more strikes as a
forward air controller than any other Marine holding that post;
among the men he led in combat in the Korean War were Ted Williams, a
future standout for the Boston Red Sox, and John Glenn, later an
astronaut and U.S. senator; and
WHEREAS, Following his return to the states, Colonel Montague
was assigned as a test pilot to the Naval Air Test Center in
Patuxent River, Maryland, and to the Naval Ordnance Test Station;
during the Vietnam War he again saw combat, flying 188 missions
against the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong; while deployed to
Southeast Asia, he served as commanding officer of Marine Fighter
Squadron 122 and as executive flight officer of Marine Fighter
Squadron 114; and
WHEREAS, Over the course of his military career, Bruce
Montague was awarded a total of 23 air medals; he retired from the
armed forces on October 31, 1969, and returned home to Bandera,
where he spent the next three decades as a land broker; and
WHEREAS, Colonel Montague loved flying, and his daredevil
stunts have become the stuff of local legend; he also delighted in
giving displays of fancy roping, a skill he learned from the
vaqueros on his family's ranch; one of the inaugural performers at
the Texas Folklife Festival, he participated in that annual event
for more than 20 years; and
WHEREAS, In the latter part of his life, Colonel Montague
devoted much of his time and efforts to his responsibilities as a
board member of the San Antonio State School; he also collaborated
with his son Bruce on a military memoir, titled The Hook; and
WHEREAS, Married to Anna Garcia Montague, this devoted family
man was blessed with nine children, including his daughter Regina
Maria Montague, who preceded him in death; a greatly respected
member of his community, he was a congregant of First Baptist Church
in Bandera; and
WHEREAS, Throughout his long and productive life, Bruce
Montague brought to all his endeavors an unfailing integrity,
purposefulness, and generosity of spirit, and his memory will be
forever cherished by those who were privileged to share in the
warmth of his love and friendship; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas
Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of
Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Paul Bruce Montague and extend sincere
sympathy to the members of his family: to his wife, Anna Garcia
Montague; to his children, Dr. Bruce Montague, Dr. Katherine
Montague Rowley and her husband, Dr. Richard Rowley, Lytle Stephen
Montague, Armella Grainger and her husband, Charles Grainger,
Sheila Montague, Jason Gilbert Carlos Arredondo and his wife, Susan
Marie Arredondo, Dr. Paul Raymond Montague and his wife, Dr.
Melinda Marie Montague, and Cyrus Coleman Montague; to his 12
grandchildren; to his brother, the Reverend Dr. George Thomas
Montague, S.M.; to his sister-in-law, Virginia Gowen Montague; and
to his many other relatives and friends; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Lieutenant
Colonel (Ret.) Paul Bruce Montague.