La. National Guard’s top leader promoted to two-star general
By Louisiana National Guard Public Affairs Office
NEW ORLEANS – Maj. Gen. Glenn H. Curtis, adjutant general of the Louisiana National Guard, was recently promoted and officially “pinned” his new rank during a ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion in Baton Rouge, July 20.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, commander-in-chief of the LANG, attended the ceremony and along with Curtis’ wife, Jill, had the honor of placing the two-star rank insignia on Curtis.
“[General Curtis] has nearly three decades of decorated service in the National Guard and with that experience I’m confident he is the best man in the nation to be leading our Guard no matter what challenges our state may face,” said Jindal.
Curtis officially assumed command as the 49th adjutant general of the LANG in a ceremony last December attended by more than 3,000 Guardsmen. Adjutants general in the National Guard, at the direction of the governor, lead all National Guard operational missions and training. In Louisiana, the head of the National Guard is appointed by the governor.
“The rank I put on today is really humbling,” said Curtis. “My commitment to [our Guardsmen] is to do the best job I can to … make sure they are trained and ready when and if we have to deploy somewhere, whether it is overseas to the war fight or in the state of Louisiana to take care of our citizens.
“It’s an honor to represent them on the behalf of the state of Louisiana. This rank is theirs; I’m just the custodian of it for a little while,” he said.
Curtis, a native of Buckeye, La., has nearly 30 years of military experience. In 1984, Curtis received his commission from LANG’s Official Candidate School as part of Class 24. His first assignment as platoon leader was for Company B, 527th Engineer Battalion in Marksville. He became commander of the 769th Engineer Battalion in Baton Rouge in 1990 and was named as the 225th Engineer Group commander, headquartered at Camp Beauregard in September 2001.
A major general is sometimes referred to as a two-star general because of the insignia they wear, which bears two stars.
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.
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