History

G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center

The G. V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center, located in Jackson, Mississippi, has a rich history of serving the veterans of the state. In January 1946, the VA took over operation of Foster General Hospital on Lindberg Drive, in West Jackson. Named for Col. C. L.  Foster, a native Mississippian who had served 40 years in the Army Medical Corps, the 2,000-bed cantonment type hospital had been used by the army since June 15, 1943. The facility, which began receiving patients one year from the time construction was started on June 7, 1942, consisted of 112 buildings on a plot of 136 acres.  The original cost was $4,500,000.

The Hospital operated under an 80-bed allocation, with emphasis on care for general medical and surgical cases. Much of the treatment during the late 1940's involved continuing care for the wounded of World War II. Mingled with these younger veterans were those from World War I and occasionally those from the Spanish American War. As staff and equipment became available, specialty treatment areas were added. These included thoracic surgery, tuberculosis, and neuropsychiatry.

The Jackson Center had hardly reached the level-off period following World War II when it had to face the problems and challenges of a new war. With the advent of the Korean Conflict in June 1950, it became necessary to give consideration to a new group of veterans. New laws and additional work necessitated some realignments within the VA and gave impetus to use of new methods and techniques in all phases of operations.

In 1955, the Jackson VA Center entered into an affiliation with the University Medical Center, allowing for the training of medical residents and students. The first assignment of residents to the VA Hospital under this program was in 1956, when two physicians came for specialty study. This partnership continues to this day, with numerous residents, interns, and students receiving training at the VA Center.

The latter part of the 1950 decade brought maturation of hope and anticipation for a new VA building in Jackson. After a period of reports and rumors as to location and time of the proposed facility, it was decided    that the site would be a plot adjacent to the University Medical Center. The State of Mississippi transferred the land to the United States in 1958. Congress appropriated $14,000,000 for the project later that year. Then came long months of architectural planning and finally awarding of the construction contract early in 1959.

The Cornerstone Laying Ceremonies for the new building came on May 12, 1960. Less than 18 months later, on November 1, 1961, a VA press release announced: “Today the construction of the new Veterans Administration Center in Jackson was completed by J.  A. Jones Construction Company and transferred to the Veterans Administration."

The construction of a new VA Center building adjacent to the University Medical Center was completed in 1961. Dedication services and open house for the Center were on Sunday, April 1, 1962. The program, with Center Director Walter R.  Byrd    presiding, included addresses by Mr.  J. S. Gleason, Jr., Administrator of Veterans Affairs; Dr. W. S. Middleton, Chief Medical Director; and Mr. P. N. Brownstein, Chief Benefits Director. Special guests included Governor Ross R.  Barnett of Mississippi; Senators James O.  Eastland and John C. Stennis of Mississippi; Congressmen Thomas G. Abernethy, Frank E. Smith, Arthur Winstead, Jamie L. Whitten, John Bell Williams, and William M. Colmer of Mississippi; Congressman Olin E. Teague of Texas; Congressman Walter S. Baring of Nevada; Congressman Torbert H. MacDonald of Massachusetts; Congressman Robert A. Everett of Tennessee, and Congressman John P. Saylor of Pennsylvania.

In October and November 1962, the Jackson VA Center participated in one of the most unique community support activities that has ever involved the Veterans Administration. A barge carrying a consignment of chlorine had accidentally sunk in the Mississippi River below Natchez, Mississippi. If the chlorine tanks broke during recovery operations, there would be great potential danger to inhabitants of the area. Special precautions were taken to prevent a possible disaster.

Local, state, and federal authorities decided that all patients in hospitals and nursing homes, along with other aged or infirm persons in the Natchez area, should be moved to places of safety. They would remain at the points to which evacuated until the tanks of chlorine had been removed from the river.

It was determined that about 550 persons should be transferred to some safe area. Nearly 300 of these required public assistance for the move and for care while away from the danger zone. The VA agreed to accept and care for 246 hospital and nursing home patients during the emergency, on a humanitarian basis, without regard for veteran status. VA Hospitals at Jackson and Biloxi, Mississippi, and at Alexandria and Shreveport, Louisiana, were designated to support this operation.

Just as the 1940s and 1950s had brought to the VA the challenges of expanding operations during periods of active war, the 1960s and early 1970s posed new problems, brought by the longest wartime period in the history of the United States. The VA Medical Center faced new challenges as the Vietnam War brought a new group of veterans with unique needs. The VA expanded its programs and services to address the physical and mental health issues arising from the conflict.

The nation’s Bicentennial Year is also a time of special note in the history of the Jackson VA Center. The first major plant expansion since completion of the present building in 1961 is now in progress. To the east of the present Hospital a 120-bed Extended Care Building is under construction. Cost of this new facility is $3,008,000. The expected completion date is 1977.

Groundbreaking for the new Research and Education Building was held July 9, 1976. This addition, to be located north of the existing building, will cost $6,700,000. Its completion will permit further expansion of Medical Research, which now employs approximately 20 persons and operates on an annual budget of about $302,000.

In recognition of his significant contributions to Veterans' affairs, the Jackson VA Center was officially named the G. V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center on November 11, 1996. G. V. “Sonny” Montgomery, a retired major general of the Mississippi National Guard and a former U.S. Congressman, had chaired the House Veterans Committee for 12 years and authored the Montgomery G.I. Bill.

Over the years, the Jackson VA Center has continued to grow and evolve, adapting to the changing needs of veterans.

Today, the G. V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center remains committed to honoring the service and sacrifice of Mississippi's veterans, upholding the legacy of Sonny Montgomery, and providing high-quality care and support to those who have served our nation.