G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery gave his country a lifetime of service. Having earned a Bronze Star for valor in the European arena of World War II, he returned to active duty during the Korean War. Montgomery retired from the Mississippi National Guard as a Major General and served the people of the Magnolia State for 40 years in public office.

In his 3 decades as a U.S. Congressman, Sonny Montgomery was a tireless advocate for American servicemen and women. His Montgomery G.I. Education Legislation has aided millions of veterans along the path to opportunity in the Nation they defended and served.

This portrait bust was executed posthumously in honor of the inaugural presentation of the Sonny Montgomery Scholarships begun at Mississippi State University in 2007. A second casting was installed in the Camp Shelby Military Museum in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, in August, 2007.

In November 2005, G.V. Sonny Montgomery was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. America’s highest civilian award, it is presented for meritorious achievement in science, the arts, athletics, business, public service, and other areas of endeavor. Along with Andrew Wyeth, Eudora Welty, and Billy Graham, Sonny Montgomery becomes the 4th Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient that I have had the honor to sculpt and portray in bronze.