Russel L. Honoré

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Russel L. Honoré
Lieutenant General Russel L. Honoré
Nickname(s)The Ragin' Cajun
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1971–2008
RankLieutenant General
Commands heldFirst Army
2nd Infantry Division
AwardsDefense Distinguished Service Medal
Army Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit (5)
Bronze Star
Expert Infantryman Badge

Lieutenant General Russel L. Honoré (pronounced ON-or-ay) (b. 1947) served as 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. He surrendered his command on January 11 2008 when he retired from the Army.[1] Honoré is sometimes known as "The Ragin' Cajun' ",[1] although he is actually of Louisiana Creole background.

Career

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 Center for Creative Leadership.

Prior to his appointment on July 15, 2004, Honoré served in a variety of command and staff positions in 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. Most recently, Honoré served as Commander, Standing Joint Force Headquarters – Homeland Security, U.S. Northern Command.

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 innocent. 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

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. 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 [Lt.] Gen. [Russel] Honoré. And he came off the doggone chopper, and he started cussing and people started moving. And he's getting some stuff done." [2] Stars and Stripes, the official newspaper of the United States Armed Forces, reported that Honoré had previous experience dealing with flooding at many Korean bases during monsoon season and supervised the installation of flood control measures.

Honoré describes himself an "African-American Creole", a mixture that includes French, American Indian and Spanish.[2]

He lives near Fort Gillem in Forest Park, Georgia, located seven miles south of Atlanta.

On September 20, 2005 at a press conference with Nagin, Honoré made headlines nationwide when he told reporters not to get "stuck on stupid" in reference to questions about the government response to Hurricane Katrina, asking them to stay on the topic of Hurricane Rita. Honoré went on to criticize the media's coverage of the hurricane, and urged; "Don't start panic here. Okay?"

Awards and accolades

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.

General Honoré's awards and decorations include the:

Qualification badges include the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Parachutist Badge, and the Joint Staff Identification Badge.

Notes

  1. ^ Ragin' Cajuns™ is the trademarked nickname of the athletic teams of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
  2. ^ "Katrina: The Aftermath: First Army's 'Ragin' Cajun, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, September 14, 2005

See also

References

  1. ^ Bluestein, Greg, Associated Press (2008-01-08). "Katrina general retiring from the Army". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 2008-01-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=7051_0_44_0_C

External links

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