Buckeye native and retired major general inducted to La. Guard Hall of Fame
By Staff Sgt. Noshoba Davis, Louisiana National Guard Public Affairs Office
PINEVILLE, La. – Retired Army Maj. Gen. Glenn H. Curtis was joined by his family, close friends and service members as they celebrated his induction into the Louisiana National Guard Hall of Fame during an official ceremony at Louisiana National Guard Training Center Pineville, Louisiana, July 13.
The LANG Hall of Fame was established to honor former Louisiana Guardsmen who distinguished themselves in their military and civilian endeavors. To be eligible for admission to the hall of fame, a nominee must have at least five years of creditable service in the LANG and have served faithfully and honorably as an officer, warrant officer or enlisted member. To date, just 23 members of the LANG have been inducted.
Curtis retired in 2020, concluding his nearly 38-year military career. His last appointed job was the adjutant general of Louisiana, where he was responsible for the deployment and coordination of programs, policies and plans affecting more than 11,000 members of the Louisiana Army and Air National Guard.
“No person in my mind deserves an individual award or accolade like this, it’s really a team effort. We’re all a team, we’ve always been a team, and we will always be a team,” said Curtis. “I really appreciate all of you coming, and the fact that you would honor us with your presence means so much to me and my family. I thank you for doing that and thank y’all for allowing me to be inducted into this hall of fame.” Curtis went on to express his gratitude to the hall of fame committee and retired Maj. Gen. Keith Waddell, adjutant general of Louisiana at the time of Curtis’s selection.
During the ceremony, Maj. Gen. Thomas Friloux, the adjutant general of Louisiana, presented Curtis with a certificate for his service. Friloux and Curtis unveiled the official portrait which will join those of the other hall of fame inductees at the LANG Hall of Fame at Jackson Barracks in New Orleans.
Friloux thanked Curtis for his leadership, mentorship and friendship over the years, and went on to break each topic down with stories from throughout Curtis’s career.
Friloux noted, in his opinion, that Curtis’s finest hour as adjutant general came during North Korea’s missile drills of 2016 and 2017. The National Guard was in a heightened state of preparedness during this time but did not receive additional training funds. To best prepare the LANG, Curtis approved a course of action that moved all unit annual training events scheduled for the summer of 2018 to January and February to ensure that service members received as much training as possible in the event of a mobilization. His decision impacted leaders at all levels and reinforced his care and concern for his Soldiers and Airmen.
Friloux further stated that the next accomplishment he wanted to highlight was “your time at AGAUS [Adjutant General Association of the United States] where you were the two-time president leading the synchronization effort of 54 TAGs [The Adjutants General]. He did it for two tours and did that with all the responsibilities here in Louisiana as TAG, never dropping a beat on leading us.” Curtis led AGAUS in an initiative to keep Apache helicopters within the National Guard. The regular Army’s Aviation Restructuring Initiative would have pulled the Apache helicopters from the states. Even though the LANG does not have Apache helicopters, Curtis saw the impact and led his fellow adjutants general with strategic prowess to involve their governors and congressional delegation ensuring the states retained these critical assets.
Friloux served as a company commander during Curtis’s command of the 3-156 Infantry. “Maj. Gen. Curtis had a saying regarding mentorship, and I’ll never forget it: If everyone around you looks like you, and everyone around you thinks like you, then you are doing it wrong,” stated Friloux.
Curtis, a Buckeye native, graduated from Buckeye High School. In 1982, he enlisted into the Louisiana Army National Guard and went on to attend the LANG Officer Candidate School, commissioning as a second lieutenant in 1984.
Curtis said his mom is the reason he joined the LANG after not being sure if he wanted to go to college or work. Curtis’ father served the LANG as a warrant officer and provided an example of what joining the Guard could be. Curtis took the oath of enlistment in the same office that he worked from more than two decades later as the director of the joint staff, serving as a constant reminder that his decisions impact Soldiers at all levels.
“The rest is history. What was supposed to be six years turned into almost 38,” said Curtis. “Training Center Pineville and the LANG made me the man I am today. I spent 38 years doing this, but I probably owe Louisiana another 38 years and still have a debt to pay to her.”
Over the years, he worked his way through the ranks, commanding units to include the 1088th Engineer Battalion; 3rd Battalion, 156th Infantry Regiment and the 225th Engineer Group.
Curtis served as the chief of staff, project and contracting office during his deployment in 2004 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. After the deployment, he served as the deputy commander for Joint Task Force Pelican during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In November 2005, he was assigned as the chief of the joint staff, Joint Force Headquarters-Louisiana before becoming the director of the joint staff on April 1, 2007. Curtis was the DJS until his appointment as the adjutant general on November 3, 2011.
“When they started calling me about what portrait I wanted to use, my first thought was it should really be a collage of thousands of people that influenced my career,” said Curtis. “I always considered myself one of those people that always fell up; I never fell down. I fell up because every team I got put on, I would just look around and go…I can’t believe the talent that we have.”
During his time as adjutant general, Curtis led the Guard through multiple significant events and all-hazard missions to include: Hurricane Isaac 2012, Winter Storm Leon 2014, a helicopter crash in Florida resulting in the loss of four Louisiana Guardsmen in 2015, the August Floods in 2016 and historic tornadoes in New Orleans in 2017.
Winter Storm Leon happened in 2014, and the LANG provided approximately 450 Guardsmen to assist the DOTD with road de-icing and road-grading operations in the Hammond, Lafayette, and New Orleans areas.
Moving forward to March 10, 2015, LANG suffered a loss when four Louisiana Guardsmen were killed in a helicopter training accident off the coast of Florida. The accident also resulted in the loss of seven Marines.
“My most memorable moment from serving with him is the way he handled the MOJO 69 accident,” said retired Command Sgt. Maj. Robert “Joey” Stiefvater, former command senior enlisted leader of LANG. “His leadership during that moment was unwavering. It was moments like this and during the training for possible deployment that impacted me the most, but he was like that during all major events…he was like that all the time.”
“It was an honor and privilege to serve as his state CSM. He is the best commander I have ever served with. His impact on me and the Louisiana National Guard will last forever. He defined ‘Protect What Matters,’” concluded Steifvater.
The following year, 12 parishes were affected by a historic, 100-year flood, and the LANG provided more than 3,800 Guardsmen in support of evacuations, search and rescue, engineering operations, commodities distribution and security support at shelters. LANG rescued more than 19,000 civilians and 2,600 pets during this response.
In addition to all hazards, Curtis led the State on preparing units for overseas deployments, helped the Guard move forward with cyber training and communications and ensured the Air Guard was an equal partner in all things with the Guard.
“He made it a point to learn about the Air Guard and spend time with us during deployments and exercises so he could better represent our needs and abilities in discussions at the national level,” said Col. Daniel Harlow, LANG’s director of staff – Air. “By doing this, we received a national advocate on the most critical issues which we are benefitting from today.”
Harlow explained that Curtis’s foresight for setting a foundation to replace the F-15C and pursuit of cyber communications led to the Louisiana Air Guard being designated to receive the F-15EX and being rewarded with a Cyber Operations Squadron.
Curtis is also commended by fellow service members for being the type of leader that allowed for mistakes and being authentic.
“Maj. Gen. Curtis ensured assuming command and earning promotion remained impactful for all the Airmen and Soldiers in the LANG. His presence and personal interest elevated these milestone events to their proper place and inspired others to achieve them,” said Brig. Gen. Sean Conroy, Louisiana Air National Guard chief of staff. “Maj. Gen. Curtis clearly trusted me, and that made a huge difference. I worked for a lot of leaders that micro-managed me, and Maj. Gen. Curtis never did that. He let me fail, allowed me to take ownership of my shortcomings, and never held it against me, always using it as a learning experience,” Conroy further elaborated.
“Maj. Gen. Curtis was an authentic leader who provided sound guidance and loved being around Soldiers and Airmen,” said Brig. Gen. Cindy Haygood, Louisiana Military Department special assistant. “Even when he was extremely busy, he always answered the phone. He was a patient and caring leader and an excellent mentor.”
Curtis holds several distinguished awards from his time in service including the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Iraq Campaign Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Louisiana Legion of Merit, the Louisiana War Cross and the Louisiana Cold War Victory Medal.
Curtis holds a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business from Louisiana State University. He also holds a Master of Science in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.
Curtis and his wife, Jill, reside in Pineville. They have three children and three grandchildren, with a fourth due in September.