CENLA native, head of La. Guard steps down after 14 years
CENLA native, head of La. Guard steps down after 14 years
Retires as longest, current serving adjutant general
By Sgt. Rebekah Malone
Louisiana National Guard Public Affairs Office
PINEVILLE, La. – After more than four decades of service, Maj. Gen. Bennett C. Landreneau, former adjutant general of the Louisiana National Guard, will symbolically hand over command during a formal ceremony at Camp Beauregard in Pineville, Dec. 10.
During the ceremony, Landreneau, the 48th appointed adjutant general of Louisiana, will examine the formation of troops and the display of equipment, vehicles and helicopters prior to passing the colors to his successor, Brig. Gen. Glenn Curtis, who was appointed adjutant general, Nov. 3.
Maj. Gen. Bennett C. Landreneau, a native of Vidrine and graduate of Vidrine High School, enlisted as a private into the LANG in 1969. He went on to graduate from the University of Southwestern Louisiana with a Bachelor of Science degree in agronomy and later received a Master of Science in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.
Landreneau said growing up on the family farm and in the farming community of Vidrine helped set him up for his future success.
“I think growing up on a farm with parents that really believed and provided a very strong family environment … taught us discipline and the values of hard work and I think that has served me well throughout my career … It was what you experienced throughout the community.
“Vidrine High School, it was a small school, but the teachers and principals were very dedicated and committed to being good role models and to giving each of us that attended school there a good educational foundation that helped us later in life,” he said.
Landreneau commanded over 11, 500 Soldiers and Airmen and will retire as the longest, current serving adjutant general in the nation, with nearly 14 years of service as head of the LANG. He received his commission from the Officer Candidate School in 1971 as a second lieutenant and later commanded the 527th Engineer Battalion during their deployment in Operation Desert Storm. He was assigned as the adjutant general on Nov. 8, 1997, and was promoted to major general on July 30, 1998.
At the press conference announcing Landreneau’s decision to retire, Gov. Bobby Jindal praised the long-serving commander as a modern-day hero.
“We could spend all day talking about the heroic actions of General Landreneau and his incredible leadership at the Louisiana National Guard, but the bottom line is that he has made the Louisiana National Guard a model for the nation. General Landreneau is a real hero to Louisiana and our entire country,” said Jindal.
Landreneau said the day he was sworn in as adjutant general 14 years ago and serving the state of Louisiana has been the greatest honor of his life.
“That was an incredible day. It was an incredible moment for both me and my family. I had the privilege of serving with some of the finest Soldiers and Airmen in the United State Military … It was both humbling and an opportunity to give as much as I could to the National Guard.
“It has been one of the greatest experiences of my life to be able to serve as the commander of the Louisiana National Guard,” he said.
During his tenure, the National Guard changed from the traditional role of being a strategic reserve force into an operation force after the attacks of 9/11. This historic change altered the training, readiness and experience level of Louisiana’s Guardsmen.
“The change of the National Guard from a strategic reserve to an operational force was historic. It required a tremendous dedication and commitment of our commanders, our leaders and our Soldiers and Airmen, and they have stood to task and they have transformed to an operational force.
“The Louisiana National Guard has performed in such an outstanding matter in accepting these new challenges and responding to these wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and deploying throughout the world, and at the same time, being able to take care of state emergencies and responding to the citizens in this state in an outstanding fashion,” he said.
“The Louisiana National Guard Soldiers and Airmen are part of the finest National Guard in America. It is their dedication, professionalism, their commitment and their hard work that has made the Louisiana National Guard the finest National Guard in America,” he said.
Prior to his appointment as the head of the LANG, Landreneau worked as a civilian employee with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service for more than 30 years and retired as the assistant state conservationist in 1996.
“[LaSalle] was the first parish that I was given the responsibility of district conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
“I learned a lot in Jena and LaSalle Parish, a rural community, heavily tied to the forest industry. It was a great experience for me to work with foresters and conservationists dealing with the timber resources and wildlife resources that we have in LaSalle parish. We met some of the finest people that we have ever met in LaSalle Parish,” he said.
“I also had the opportunity while I was there to command the Louisiana National Guard unit in Jena at the same time that I was the head of the soil conservation service. During that time, we had the flood of 1973 that impacted significantly in Catahoula and LaSalle parishes, and I was on state active duty for several weeks responding to the flood fight.”
He said it was this experience during the flood response that was a key factor in his decision to make a career out of the National Guard, past his initial six-year commitment.
“I initially had no intentions of continuing to serve,” he said. But as he continued his service, he said the camaraderie and strong friendships he developed began to sway his thinking.
“My experience in the flood fight in Jena in 1973, and just having the opportunity to work with the citizens of the state, just reinforced that idea that I wanted to continue to serve in the Guard.”
Landreneau and his wife, the former Dolores Fontenot, have four children and six grandchildren and reside in Alexandria.
“My wife Dolores has always been an important part of my military career. She was very supportive and also very active in family support and unit activities. She has always been part of the team.
“I’m blessed to have had very strong family support. My two sons are in the National Guard. My two sons-in-law are in the National Guard. I think it’s a tradition that we have in this state that is very powerful,” he said.
A few of the many distinguished awards that Landreneau holds are the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Louisiana Distinguished Service Medal, the Louisiana Legion of Merit and the Louisiana War Cross.
Adjutants general in the National Guard, along with the governor, direct all National Guard actions and accomplishment of training. In Louisiana, the head of the National Guard is appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate.
The National Guard, the oldest component of the Armed Forces of the United States and one of the nation’s longest-enduring institutions, celebrated its 375th birthday, Dec. 13, 2011. The National Guard continues its historic dual mission of providing to the states units trained and equipped to protect life and property, while providing to the nation units trained, equipped and ready to defend the United States and its interests, all over the globe.
