Lt. General Russel L. Honoré

Lt. General Russel L. Honoré "The Ragin' Cajun"

From Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russel_L._Honor%C3%A9

Russel L. Honoré (/ˈɒnəreɪ/ ON-ər-ay; born 1947) is a retired lieutenant general who served as the 33rd commanding general of the U.S. First Army at Fort Gillem, Georgia. He is best known for serving as commander of Joint Task Force Katrina responsible for coordinating military relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina–affected areas across the Gulf Coast and as the 2nd Infantry Division's commander while stationed in South Korea. He served until his retirement from the Army on January 11, 2008.[1] Honoré is sometimes known as "The Ragin' Cajun",[2] although he is actually of Louisiana Creole descent with a West Indies background, whose family came through the port of New Orleans and settled in the Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana.[3] The Honoré family surname is still found among the Cane River Créoles.

Early Life and Education

A native of Lakeland in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, and youngest of 12 children, Honoré earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Vocational Agriculture from Southern University and A&M College in 1971. He also holds a Master of Arts in Human Resources from Troy State University as well as an Honorary Doctorate in Public Administration from Southern University and A&M College. He has received leadership development training from the international civilian Center for Creative Leadership.[4]

Career

Prior to his appointment on July 15, 2004 as Commander, First United States Army, Honoré served in a variety of command and staff positions in South Korea and Germany. He served as Commanding General, 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea; Vice Director for Operations, J-3, The Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.; Deputy Commanding General and Assistant Commandant, United States Army Infantry Center and School, Fort Benning, Georgia; and Assistant Division Commander, Maneuver/Support, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

On June 13, 2002, in South Korea, soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division were on a training mission near the North Korean border when their vehicle hit two 14-year-old girls on a narrow public road. In July 2002, the U.S. military indicted Sgt. Mark Walker and Sgt. Fernando Nino on charges of negligent homicide. They were later found not guilty. Honoré (then a major general) responded by visiting the victims' parents and promising the U.S. military would build a memorial near the accident site to honor the girls.

Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita

On August 31, 2005, Honoré was designated commander of Joint Task Force Katrina responsible for coordinating military relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina-affected areas across the Gulf Coast. Honoré's arrival in New Orleans came after what was widely believed to be a poor performance by the state and local agencies[clarification needed] and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its director Michael D. Brown.[citation needed] He gained media celebrity and accolades for his apparent turning around of the situation in the city as well as his gruff management style which contrasted with what many felt were the empty platitudes of civilian officials. In one widely played clip, Honoré was seen on the streets of the city, barking orders to subordinates and, in one case, berating a soldier who displayed a weapon, telling him "We're on a rescue mission, damn it!" New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was quoted on a radio interview September 1, 2005, saying: "Now, I will tell you this—and I give the president some credit on this—he sent one John Wayne dude down here that can get some stuff done, and his name is Gen. Honoré. And he came off the doggone chopper, and he started cussing and people started moving. And he's getting some stuff done."[5] Stars and Stripes, the unofficial newspaper of the United States Armed Forces, reported that Honoré had previous experience dealing with flooding at many South Korean bases during monsoon season and supervised the installation of flood control measures.

On September 20, 2005, at a press conference with Nagin on Hurricane Rita, Honoré made headlines nationwide when he told a reporter not to get "stuck on stupid" in reference to a question about the government response to Hurricane Katrina.[6]

Hurricane Maria comments

After Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, Honoré described the situation in the U.S. territory as being "like a war" and said it was significantly worse than New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina.[7] Honoré criticized the Trump administration's response to the crisis, saying it demanded a greater and more rapid response, with a larger commitment of U.S. troops to provide emergency assistance,[8] and told CNN anchor Erin Burnett, "The president has shown again he don't give a damn about poor people. He doesn't give a damn about people of color."[9]

Politics

In late August 2009, there were reports that Honoré would run for U.S. Senate in 2010 in his native Louisiana as a Republican against incumbent Republican Senator David Vitter.[10] On August 31, when asked point-blank on CNN about the reports, Honoré expressed admiration for individuals who aspire to serve in public office but said that he had no plans to seek the Senate seat.

Personal Life

Honoré describes himself an "African-American Creole", a combination that includes French, African, American Indian and Spanish ancestry.[11]

During the halftime of the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana, on December 30, 2005, Honoré was honored with the Omar N. Bradley "Spirit of Independence Award" because of his leadership in the recovery of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Honoré was also awarded the Key to the City Award to New Orleans in Recognition of his Exemplary Military Service during the third anniversary of Katrina ceremonies.[citation needed]

He resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with his wife, Beverly and their four children, two sons: Sergeant Michael Honore and First Lieutenant Steven Honore and two daughters, Stephanie and Kimberly.

All sources noted on the Wikipedia article.

From https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-...

Admired for his no-nonsense leadership, Lt. General Russel L. Honoré came to national attention when he was placed in command of the U.S. Defense Department's relief operations after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the Gulf Coast in 2005. His decisive actions during this crisis, especially in New Orleans, were welcomed for their efficiency and their sensitivity to the needs of traumatized residents, and prompted New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin to dub him "one John Wayne dude."

Honoré, whose family is of mixed black and Creole ancestry, grew up near Baton Rouge on a farm in his native town of Lakeland, Louisiana. He was the youngest of eight boys in a family of 12 children, raised as devout Roman Catholics. "I grew up poor," he told Lynne Duke in a Washington Post feature, "but we had a good family." The family worked their land to produce sugar cane, cotton, and corn; they also raised pigs and cows. In fact, Honoré planned to pursue farming as a career after completing his education. He was inspired by his father, whom he described to Duke as a "master of provisions, of providing for the family" and who taught Honoré the value of hard work. After high school, Honoré put himself through Southern University and A&M College while working on a nearby dairy farm, earning a B.S. in vocational agriculture in 1971.

During college Honoré joined the ROTC, and upon graduation he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry. Despite the objections of his father, Honoré decided to make the army his future. "The Army gave me open sky," he explained in the interview with Duke. "I liked what I was doing and the opportunity to be judged by your performance as opposed to other measures."

Indeed, Honoré's performance was rewarded with several challenging posts. He served in Korea and in Germany, and also served as Vice Director for Operations, J-3, the Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.; Deputy Commanding General and Assistant Commandant, United States Army Infantry Center and School, For Benning, Georgia; and Assistant Division Commander, Maneuver/Support, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. After serving as Commander, Standing Joint Force Headquarters-Homeland Security, U.S. Northern Command, Honoré in 2004 was appointed Commanding General, First Army, Fort Gillem, Georgia, where he supervised the preparation of units being sent to Iraq.

When Hurricane Katrina whipped into the coasts of Mississippi and Louisiana on August 29, 2005, the results were catastrophic. Property damage was severe throughout the region, but in New Orleans the situation was worsened by failure of the city's extensive levee system, which had been built to protect the low-lying city from flooding from adjacent Lake Pontchartrain. After the hurricane many areas of the city were completely under water; roads into and out of the city were impassable, electricity and communications were cut off, and emergency supplies could not get in. Though approximately 80 percent of residents had evacuated the city prior to the storm, those who had either chosen to remain or who had been unable to flee faced extreme perils. Many hundreds drowned; others were left for days on end without food or fresh water; crimes—including shootings, stabbings, and rapes—were reported, and residents desperate for supplies broke into stores and were accused of looting. In addition to the U.S. Coast Guard, which flew round-the-clock rescue missions, the National Guard was deployed to assist in relief efforts. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, through FEMA, ran the operation.

As head of the First Army, Honoré was placed in command of Joint Task Force-Katrina. In this position, he commanded all active-duty troops from all military branches assigned to the operation. From the moment he arrived in Louisiana, he impressed officials with his authority and resolve. "He came off the doggone chopper, and he started cussing and people started moving," commented Mayor Nagin in an interview published on CNN.com. Honoré's task was daunting. "When I saw the devastation, I said, ‘Holy Lord, what happened here?’" he told Ebony interviewer Kevin Chappell. "This is a disaster of biblical proportions. This hurricane had the potential to set this city back 80 years. We have had storms, but never a storm like this." Honoré saw to it that food and water were delivered to the New Orleans Convention Center, designated as an emergency shelter for some 20,000 residents. Another major task was to facilitate the removal of several thousand storm victims to safer areas, including emergency shelters in surrounding states. Though lawlessness was also a severe problem, Honoré emphasized that local police should take charge of crime. In fact, whenever he saw armed National Guard troops or police in the city, he ordered them to point their weapons down. "This isn't Iraq," he told them, as reported by Christian Science Monitor correspondent Patrik Jonsson.

Though the federal response to Katrina elicited widespread criticism, Honoré focused on getting the job done rather than laying blame for the various failures that worsened the crisis. "You can beat [the players] up and tell them how stupid and dumb they are and degrade them," he told Washington Post writer Duke, comparing himself to a football coach, "or you can take a new tack, find new approaches and remember ‘there's still three quarters of the game left.’" Accordingly, he set an example of commitment and resolve. As Jonsson put it, Honoré was "willing to get into even the dirtiest task," speeding by helicopter from trouble spot to trouble spot and inspiring both relief workers and storm victims with his energy and determination to get the job done.

At a Glance …

Born in 1947, in Lakeland, LA; married Beverly; children: Stephanie, Kimberly, Michael, Stephen. Education: Southern University and A&M College, BS, vocational agriculture, 1971; Troy State University, MA, human resources.

Career: U.S. Army, 1971-; commissioned as Second Lieutenant of Infantry, 1971; Commanding General, 2d Infantry Division, South Korea; Vice Director for Operations, J-3, The Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.; Deputy Commanding General and Assistant Commandant, United States Army Infantry Center and School, Fort Benning, GA; Assistant Division Commander, Maneuver/Support, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, TX; Commander, Standing Joint Force Headquarters-Homeland Security, U.S. Northern Command; Commanding General, First Army, Fort Gillem, GA, 2004-.

Some of his Awards: Distinguished Service Medal; Legion of Merit; Bronze Star Medal; Omar N. Bradley Spirit of Independence Award, 2005; two honorary doctorates.

Most recently, Lt. General Honoré has been called up to provide commentary on the coronovirus response.

https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/watch/-don-t-give-an-order-you-can-t-en...