La. Guard provides military sights, sounds and pageantry at inauguration
By Sgt. 1st Class Scott D. Longstreet, Louisiana National Guard Public Affairs Office
BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana National Guard provided ceremonial support during the inauguration of Louisiana’s 57th governor, Gov. Jeffrey Martin Landry, at the State Capitol in Baton Rouge, on January 7, 2024.
In attendance were Brig. Gen. Thomas C. Friloux and his wife Laurie. Friloux was sworn in as the 51st adjutant general of Louisiana in a ceremony the following day.
The inauguration ceremony began with a joint honor guard, consisting of Louisiana Army and Air Force Guard men and women and Marine Corps and Coast Guard service members stationed in Louisiana. This honor guard lined the stairway leading up to the capitol’s rotunda and provided a ceremonial saber arch as the official party and first family was introduced.
After the arrival of Gov. Landry and his wife Sharon, U.S. Army Maj. Justin Bryson, of the Louisiana National Guard, presented Landry with a U.S. Army Officer’s Saber that was used in the saber arch.
Following the saber presentation, LANG’s 1st Battalion, 141st Field Artillery Regiment, 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, performed a 19-cannon salute followed by the presentation of the colors by the historic Washington Artillery dressed in 1838-style uniforms. The canon salute is done in honor of US dignitaries, including state governors.
U.S. Army Capt. Brent Beeman presented a ceremonial shell casing on behalf of the Louisiana National Guard. The inscription read: “Presented to Jeff Landry by the Louisiana National Guard on the occasion of his inauguration.”
After the national anthem and pledge of allegiance were completed, Louisiana Air National Guard’s 159th Fighter Wing flew three F-15s over the State Capitol along with the official raising of the national colors, state colors and the POW flag at the top of the State Capitol.
As governor, Landry will serve as the commander-in-chief of the Louisiana National Guard.
