BUTTE - Butte’s VA clinic is officially named after Charlie “Devil Dog” Dowd, the Anaconda man’s heroics during Pearl Harbor and the South Pacific are the stuff of legend.
“He just was a devil dog, and he wanted action. He wanted to make the Japanese pay for their surprise attack on the American people,” said Charlie Dowd’s friend Tom Puccinelli.
WATCH: To learn more about Charlie 'Devil Dog' Dowd and the impact of his heroic actions, check out our video coverage of the renaming ceremony at the Butte VA Clinic
A ceremony was held Friday outside the clinic to honor the man who was the last known surviving veteran of the Dec. 7th, 1941, attack at Pearl Harbor. Dowd died in 2023 at 99 years old.
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines and U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke were there to pay tribute to the man who earned 7 Bronze Stars for his actions in the Navy during World War II. His son, Justin Dowd, said he is proud of his father’s legacy.
“Thinking back to what dad and the other World War II veterans did, back then at the time, it really can’t compare to anything I’ve experienced in life,” said Justin Dowd.
During the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dowd grabbed a rifle and shot at Japanese torpedo planes for more than 75 minutes.
“The amazing sort of feats that he displayed, again at 17 at such a young age, that’s something that comes from the soul. You have to have that courage innate in you,” said VA Medical Center Director Duane Gill.
Charlie Dowd was also a proud Montanan who enjoyed the outdoors.
“He was good, he was pro-military, pro U.S.A. and he realized what we have here in comparison to other countries, and he wanted to protect our way of life,” said Puccinelli.
