Muskogee Medical Center To Celebrate 90 Years Of Serving Veterans

An Oklahoma Veteran's Administration medical center will celebrate 90 years of serving members of the Armed Forces.

Muskogee's Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center will celebrate the milestone at 2 p.m. Friday,  June 14 on the lawn of the Five Civilized Tribes Museum.

The State of Oklahoma built the medical center at the close of World War I to give returning veterans access to free medical care, according to a news release. The medical center was built by the state then leased to the federal government.

Originally known as Soldiers Memorial Hospital, the medical center opened on Flag Day - June 14, 1923.

The center was renamed in 2006 in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Jack C. Montgomery, a World War II veteran and Cherokee Indian. The medical center is located at 1011 Honor Heights Drive in Muskogee, adjacent to the Five Civilized Tribes Museum.