La. National Guard top general to retire, new leader appointed
BATON ROUGE – Today, Governor Bobby Jindal announced the retirement of Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Bennett C. Landreneau from the Louisiana National Guard, and the appointment of Brig. Gen. Glenn Curtis as adjutant general. Landreneau will retire as the longest, current serving adjutant general in the nation with nearly fourteen years of service as head of the LANG.
Governor Jindal said, “After more than four decades of service to Louisiana and our nation, General Landreneau told me he is ready to retire from the National Guard and begin the next step of his life. I want to personally thank General Landreneau for his counsel and leadership over the past four years. He’s been at my side every step of the way as we faced hurricanes, an oil spill and flooding. No matter how many times we have called on General Landreneau and the National Guard, they have always performed above and beyond the call of duty.
“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.
“I’m proud to announce that the National Guard will begin a new chapter under the leadership of Brigadier General Glenn Curtis. Over the past four years, I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with General Curtis. He’s been a top advisor to General Landreneau and been at the center of every disaster response operation over the past four years. With nearly three decades of decorated service in the National Guard, General Curtis is ready to lead the Louisiana National Guard. My top priority as Governor is the safety and security of our people and I know that General Curtis shares that priority. I’m confident that General Curtis will carry on General Landreneau’s legacy of strong leadership and will have our brave Guardsmen ready to help our state no matter what challenges we may face.”
Landreneau, a native of Vidrine, age 64, is the recipient of numerous awards and decorations, including the Legion of Merit (with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster), the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal (with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster), the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal (with 1 Silver Oak Leaf Cluster), the National Defense Service Medal, the Southwest Asia Service Medal (with 2 Bronze Service Stars), the Humanitarian Service Ribbon, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon (with Numeral One), the Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) and the Kuwait Liberation Medal (Emirate of Kuwait).
Curtis, a native of Alexandria, is the current Director of the Joint Staff for the Louisiana National Guard. As the Director of the Joint Staff, he has served as the chief advisor and principal assistant to the adjutant general. He is also the Joint Task Force Commander of Joint Task Force Pelican. As the commander of Joint Task Force Pelican, he has been responsible for commanding all military forces conducting emergency and contingency operations in Louisiana.
Curtis, age 49, was commissioned in 1984 through the Louisiana National Guard Officer Candidate School. Before commissioning, Curtis served as an enlisted member in the Louisiana National Guard beginning in 1982. Curtis is a graduate of LSU and has a Masters in science in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Curtis is the recipient of numerous awards and decorations, including the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal (with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters), the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Combat Action Badge, the Joint Meritorious Unit Award, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal (with 1 Bronze Service Star) and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal.
