Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

‘One John Wayne dude’ tackles relief efforts - Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré (mayor Nagin term for him)
Stars and Stripes ^ | September 4, 2005 | Stars and Stripes

Posted on 09/04/2005 1:13:53 AM PDT by Former Military Chick

The man in charge of coordinating the military’s hurricane response is a Louisiana native with previous experience in flood disasters who already has received high marks from one state official for his efforts.

Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré, the man in charge of U.S. Northern Command’s Joint Task Force Katrina, is a former 2nd Infantry Division commander.

Honoré, from Lakeland, La., led 2nd ID in South Korea from October 2000 until July 2002.

During that time he dealt with monsoon-season flooding on many Area I installations and oversaw flood prevention measures put in place following a disastrous 1998 flood that caused more than $150 million in damage to Area I bases.

Honoré is a man who announces his presence with authority.

In an interview with local WWL radio, New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin was expressing dismay at the lack of federal help for his city, but said of Honoré:

“I give the president some credit on this, he sent one John Wayne dude down here that can get some stuff done, and his name is Gen. Honoré, and he came off the doggone chopper, and he started cussin’ and people started movin’!

“And he’s getting some stuff done,” Nagin said. “They ought to give that guy — if they don’t want to give it to me, give him full authority to get the job done.”

Honoré was commissioned a second lieutenant of infantry in 1971. He also has served as commander, 4th Battalion, 16th Infantry Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Germany.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: honore; hurricane; katrina; military; nationalguard
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 121-136 next last
To: NittanyLion; farmer18th

I saw the clip. My recollection of it was the troops already had their weapons pointed down (which is how you are supposed to point them). He was yelling at some SWAT-Rambos to take their damn fingers off the triggers, and point the weapons down. I thought it entirely proper


61 posted on 09/04/2005 7:47:24 AM PDT by SauronOfMordor
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: farmer18th
then why are you opining at all yourself?...If credentials matter, your endorsement of him doesn't matter a jot.

Agreed - my opinion doesn't matter a whit. Neither does yours.

If credentials teach you to send soldiers into a known sniper zone with slung rifles, then credentials are the enemy.

Says you. I'll trust the man on the scene to make those decisions over armchair generals, thanks very much.

This is America, remember? Generals take their orders from civilians. I'm a Stanford educated small business owner and that means I could probably do that job better than a civil servant for life. Got that?

I would've expected someone at Stanford to teach you that most decisions are best made at the local level, by those with the most information at hand. Guess you missed that day of class, eh?

62 posted on 09/04/2005 7:48:08 AM PDT by NittanyLion
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 58 | View Replies]

To: SauronOfMordor
some SWAT-Rambos to take their damn fingers off the triggers

I suspect there might be a few unprotected women in that city who would be happy to know those "Rambos" are around. It was the wrong message for public consumption, and an idiotic thing to do.
63 posted on 09/04/2005 7:49:57 AM PDT by farmer18th ("The fool says in his heart there is no God.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 61 | View Replies]

To: NittanyLion
decisions are best made at the local level, by those with the most information at hand. Guess you missed that day of class, eh?

Actually, no I didn't, but you're missing the point. This was not "local" decision making. This was a general who wanted to grandstand in front of CNN's cameras for the entire nation to see. If there was a reason to sling weapons, it should have gone through the chain of command, without making his troops look like idiots in front of the press.
64 posted on 09/04/2005 7:54:40 AM PDT by farmer18th ("The fool says in his heart there is no God.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 62 | View Replies]

To: farmer18th
This was a general who wanted to grandstand in front of CNN's cameras for the entire nation to see.

Unsubstantiated assertion.

If there was a reason to sling weapons, it should have gone through the chain of command, without making his troops look like idiots in front of the press.

First, no one looked like an idiot. That's your interpretation - I saw the same clip and didn't think anything of it.

Second, now you're arguing for more bureaucracy in the process? For that matter, how do you know the message wasn't previously communicated and disregarded by these troops?

I'll say it again: you don't have the required information to second guess Honore's actions at this time. You're making yourself look like a whining complainer by continuing down this road.

65 posted on 09/04/2005 7:57:58 AM PDT by NittanyLion
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 64 | View Replies]

To: NittanyLion
You're making yourself look like a whining complainer by continuing down this road.

We're a nation of whining complainers. Americans speak when something doesn't look right. China is the place for people who stand in line and do what they're told.
66 posted on 09/04/2005 8:00:37 AM PDT by farmer18th ("The fool says in his heart there is no God.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 65 | View Replies]

To: farmer18th
We're a nation of whining complainers.

Speak for yourself.

Americans speak when something doesn't look right.

True enough. Too bad much of that speech is not based on anything other than their own deluded thinking.

67 posted on 09/04/2005 8:02:32 AM PDT by NittanyLion
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 66 | View Replies]

To: NittanyLion
True enough. Too bad much of that speech is not based on anything other than their own deluded thinking.

You just don't have the credentials to make that judgement. Just leave things to me...
68 posted on 09/04/2005 8:04:48 AM PDT by farmer18th ("The fool says in his heart there is no God.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies]

To: farmer18th
Kerry's medals were purple hearts of dubious merit. Honore's are far more significant and documented, including a BRONZE STAR. See here for descriptions of some of his more prominent decorations and what it takes to earn them.
http://www.americal.org/awards/achv-svc.htm
69 posted on 09/04/2005 8:09:19 AM PDT by Virginia Ridgerunner ("Si vis pacem para bellum")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 59 | View Replies]

To: Virginia Ridgerunner
Didn't Kerry receive a Silver Star?
70 posted on 09/04/2005 8:21:20 AM PDT by farmer18th ("The fool says in his heart there is no God.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 69 | View Replies]

To: farmer18th
I suspect there might be a few unprotected women in that city who would be happy to know those "Rambos" are around.

Unless the Rambo gets startled while his finger is on the trigger and his gun goes off while pointed in her direction.

I'm not complaining about the presence of armed LEOs, I'm complaining about LEOs who seem to have had inadequate training in safe gun handling, which is what I think ticked off the general

71 posted on 09/04/2005 8:22:37 AM PDT by SauronOfMordor
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 63 | View Replies]

To: farmer18th
Just what part of sniper response includes "slinging weapons?"

On the video, I didn't see him make troops "sling" weapons. I saw him getting people to point weapons down.

There is a reason for this. The reason is so that if a gun goes off unintentionally, the bullet goes into the ground instead of into the guy next to you. If the gun is pointed up, the bullet may not hit the guy next to you, but it might hit somebody's kid on the second floor of the house you're standing next to (they were in an urban area).

This is the reason why troops are supposed to point their guns DOWN. On Iraq footage, you see troops on patrol, they are pointing their guns down except when actually firing at an enemy

72 posted on 09/04/2005 8:30:56 AM PDT by SauronOfMordor
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 52 | View Replies]

To: SauronOfMordor
I'm not complaining about the presence of armed LEOs, I'm complaining about LEOs who seem to have had inadequate training in safe gun handling, which is what I think ticked off the general

I didn't see anyone with finger on the trigger; the general wanted the weapons on their shoulder, "slung," which doesn't seem to be a "ready" state for a sniper zone. The clip I saw literally had him yelling profanities at troopers over and over again on this score, in clear range of CNNs camera crew. Forgive me, but something political was going on with this, and I don't care if the guy conquered Hamburger Hill by himself with Viet Cong guts in his teeth, I'd prefer to seen some of his rhetoric reserved for the rapists and the murderers.
73 posted on 09/04/2005 8:34:36 AM PDT by farmer18th ("The fool says in his heart there is no God.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 71 | View Replies]

To: SauronOfMordor

In the clip I saw, he was clearly yelling "sling 'em."


74 posted on 09/04/2005 8:35:45 AM PDT by farmer18th ("The fool says in his heart there is no God.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 72 | View Replies]

To: farmer18th

"What battles has he won? What faith does he profess? Tell me about this man who tells our volunteer soldiers to sling their weapons in the middle of a sniper zone.

He commanded 2nd ID in Korea which is a hardcore unit. Other posts have commented on serving as junior officers under Gen Honore' and they are gungho about him.

The MSM is all over the Bush Admin for everything under the sun on this disaster. Gen. Honore' is being smart to set an example.

Meanwhile you and your one handed computing need to lighten up.


75 posted on 09/04/2005 8:02:55 PM PDT by takbodan (.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 59 | View Replies]

To: NittanyLion

www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1476447/posts

Other post regarding Lt General Honore'


76 posted on 09/04/2005 8:10:31 PM PDT by takbodan (.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 51 | View Replies]

To: Come And Take It

PING!!!!


77 posted on 09/04/2005 8:54:58 PM PDT by Repub Bub
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: farmer18th

"He's a coward."

Still think he is a coward?


78 posted on 09/05/2005 9:40:05 PM PDT by jbstrick (insert clever tagline here)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]

To: Former Military Chick

Yahoo news claims that Lt Gen Honore is from the Air Force. Never knew that the first Army was commanded by a AF General.


79 posted on 09/06/2005 5:17:00 AM PDT by MattMa ("Void of ideas, driven by hate, vote the Democratic Party in 2008")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: jbstrick

Anyone who takes the name of the Lord God almighty in vain, routinely, is more than just a coward. He's a godless fool.


80 posted on 09/06/2005 6:18:42 AM PDT by farmer18th ("The fool says in his heart there is no God.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 78 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 121-136 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson