By James Ronald Skains
Journal Correspondent

Major General Bennett Landreneau, commander of the 14,000 member Louisiana Army and Air National Guard forces began his career in auspicious circumstances in June 1969 at the height of the Viet Nam War. He enlisted in the military where he was awarded the rank of Private and trained as an infantryman at Fort Polk.

Perhaps one of General Landreneau's most rewarding moments occurred on July 27, 2005, at Tiger Chapel in Baghdad, Iraq when he administered the oath of extension to some 400 soldiers of 256th Brigade Combat team which he commands.

"This speaks volumes about the commitment, dedication, and morale of these soldiers, and affirms the fact that they want to be part of this great team," the General stated as he thanked them for their actions on behalf of Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco. "We are looking forward to having you back home and giving you the hero's welcome you each deserve."

Little did Major General Landreneau or anyone else imagine that less than five weeks later, the 256th would be devastated by Hurricane Katrina crushing southeast Louisiana into a sea of mud and brackish water. The 256th was scheduled to return home to Louisiana in early October, but some came home early to help out with assignments to relief efforts from Katrina.

Bennett Landreneau, a man of exceptional stamina and strength of character actually pursued two parallel careers from 1969 to 1996. He was the true "Civilian Soldier" being both a member of the Guard and a full time civilian employee of the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service for 30 years, retiring from that position in 1996.

Meritorious service awards included two USDA Distinguished Service awards and one USDA Superior award which was presented to him personally by the Secretary of Agriculture. At the time of his retirement in 1996, Landreneau was Assistant State Consevationalist.

He was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General on December 3, 1996 with federal recognition on the same date. He assumed his state appointed grade of Major General on May 12, 1998.

Long before "Citizen Soldier" Bennett Landreneau received his star as a Brigadier General, he began to accumulate numerous decorations for meritorious service in the military. Those decorations included the Legion of Merit Star, Meritorious Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Commendation Medal, Southwest Asia Service with two Bronze Stars, and two Kuwait Liberation Medals. All total General Landreneau has received over 20 decorations during his climb up through the ranks.

The 1965 graduate of tiny Vidrine High School in southwest Louisiana climbed the military ranks step by step from his enlisted rank of Private. He attended the Louisiana State Officer Candidate School and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in 1971. General Landreneau served as a Platoon leader, Company Commander, Battalion S-4, Battalion S-3, Battalion Executive Officer and Battalion Commander.

During Operation Desert Storm, on active duty in Southwest Asia (Middle East) he served as Commander of the 527th Engineer Battalion. He also served as Commander of the 225th Engineer Group from January 6, 1992 until he assumed command of the 256th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized) headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana on August 1, 1995. Landreneau was appointed Special Assistant to the Adjutant General on January 2, 1997 and was assigned to his present position of Adjutant General on November 8, 1997.

His current duties as Adjutant General for Louisiana include responsibility for deployment and coordination of programs, policies and plans affecting the more than 14,000 members of the Louisiana Army and Air National Guard. Genral Landreneau is also Director of the Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

The hallmark of General Landreneau's career is obviously his pursuit of education both in and out of the military. He first received a Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy from the University of Southwestern Louisiana, (now University of Louisiana at Lafayette). His military education courses included after Officer Candidate School, Engineer Officer Course, Engineer Officer Advanced Course, Mechanical Maintenance Course, Command and General Staff Officer Course, Infantry and Armor Pre-Command Course, and is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College.

"One thing that is very obvious is that great opportunity exists in the both active duty military and the National Guard for those who have the desire and discipline to achieve their goals," General Landreneau explained to the Journal. "You can climb the ranks from the bottom to the top as I did if that is your goal. There is no glass ceiling in the military."

Ironically, just as plans were being implemented to bring home the 256th Enhanced Infantry Brigade from a year of service in Iraq, General Landreneau became an "evacuee." The General and his wife Dolores lived at Jackson Barracks in New Orleans which served as his headquarters. However, General Landreneau never missed a step as he relocated his command head-quarters to Camp Beauregard north of Pineville, Louisiana and dove into the Louisiana National Guard operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and then Rita.

In addition to his direct military involvement, General Landreneau has found time to serve on the Executive Board of Directors of the New Orleans Area Council of Boy Scouts and as President the Louisiana Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society. In addition, Major General Landreneau serves on several Boards and Commissions in New Orleans as well as on the state level.

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