Gen. Honoré: 'To live free is a privilege' 

On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coat as a Category 3 storm. While damage struck New Orleans from the heavy wind and rainfall, it was the aftermath of the storm that caused devastation, loss and chaos – levees could no longer hold, causing widespread flooding. The city needed someone who would take charge, create safety and not mince words. That someone was three-star U.S. Army Gen. Russel L. Honoré, former commander of the Joint Task Force Katrina. He had the personality it took to get New Orleans under control and 19 years later, that same no-hold back leadership was brought to the convention stage during The American Legion National Convention in New Orleans on Aug. 28.

“It was a challenging time; a lot of people didn’t think this could happen,” Honoré said of the levees collapsing. “As a military planner, it wasn’t a question of if it’s going to happen. It was when it was going to happen. Any time you have a city surrounded by levees and water gets into it, you have to pump the water out. And 80 percent of the city was underwater. So it was a mission that I ended up with” as the 33rd commander of the 1st Army whose area of responsibility was east of the Mississippi to provide military support to civil authorities.

The day after Katrina hit, Honoré flew to Shelby, Miss., where he had 3,000 National Guardsman training to deploy to Iraq. He received a call from his boss at the time, U.S. Navy Adm. Timothy Keating, who said they did not have a request from FEMA to assist New Orleans.

“I said, ‘Well boss, I don’t need you or FEMA to tell me how to do my g*****n job.’ I learned my mission when I raised my right hand and said I would support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all damn enemies foreign and domestic. When you’re empowered with a mission, you don’t need somebody to tell you it’s time to go do it.”

That no-nonsense tone was delivered by Honoré to the Legion delegation as he spoke from the heart on freedom, the VA, parenthood, grandparenthood and suicide prevention. His remarks were spoken with seriousness, humor and expletives that reiterated why he was the general to serve as the Joint Task Force Katrina.

And Honoré did not always speak behind the podium for a reason.

“Excuse me for not standing behind the podium. But as an infantryman, I know a moving target is a little harder to hit.”

Honoré’s first of three slides showed an image of Gen. George Washington crossing the Delaware River with the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War that echoed throughout his 27-minute speech. “These patriots paved the way, and we must put it in perspective every generation what we are asked to do. It was a volunteer Army. They weren’t well equipped; they weren’t well trained. But they had a mission, and that mission was to win our freedom. They were motivated by freedom.”

His next slide said we were born free by accident in this world because of where your mother was at the time. “Never forget that,” he emphasized as millions of people in the world are living as refugees. And to live free is a privilege that resonated throughout his remarks.

“A privilege that’s been paid for by previous generations. We can never forget to remind Americans that the freedom they enjoy is a damn privilege paid for in the blood of our veterans. Everybody that served in uniform ought to be respected for giving them the freedom to do the s**t that they do, even if we don’t agree with it.”

The VA “is still a work in progress” Honoré said that only improves by using it and making it better. Honoré shared his first-time experience visiting the VA that caused Legionnaires to erupt in laughter with his honest words.

As a VA service-connected disabled veteran, Honoré was asked to share his financial status during his visit. “‘I said, ‘I ain’t filling that s**t out.’ … When I signed up, nobody told me my VA visit was going to be based on financial status. And (the woman at the VA) said, ‘Looks like you’re going to be a little difficult.’ I said, ‘You g*****n right. You spent 37 years up and down, jumping out of airplanes getting your ass shot at, you’d be difficult too. Why the hell do you think I’m here? I need some g*****n help. Can’t you see I’m half crazy?’”

After some pushback, he got examined that day but questioned about other veterans who don’t have that same outcome, who may not have transportation to come back to the VA.  

“We’ve still got work to do, but they’ve come a long way, you agree with that?” he asked Legionnaires who agreed. “They will only get better if you raise hell.”

Honoré addressed a top priority of The American Legion with its Be the One program – veteran suicide prevention. To help be the one to save a veteran in crisis, we have to ensure veterans and servicemembers are given the respect they deserve by reminding America of their freedom.

“To live free is a privilege. That we have paid for,” he said. “As we speak today, we have warriors in the air. Warriors underwater. We’ve got two carrier battlegroups in the Middle East. We’ve got thousands of soldiers in Asia and in Europe. And the rest of America is getting ready for g*****n football season. Most of them could give a s**t less. You with me? To live free is a privilege. You own this information. You remind them of that.”

His final slide was on responsibility. “To die free is a responsibility. That’s something we need to pass on to the next generation,” Honoré said. “To die free is a responsibility that each generation pass to the next. That’s a responsibility, folks.”  

He joked that of those in the audience who are baby boomers like him, that they may not have done everything right with their children. But it’s not too late with grandchildren.

“We drank too much. We smoked too much. We cursed too much. We kind of screwed up our kids. Now we got to work on our grandkids.” With that responsibility comes taking grandkids to Legion events, and Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies. And ensure they practice their right to vote.  

“You got to be an influencer,” he said. And when they say they’re not going to vote, “you tell them that too many of our people have died for the right for you to vote. I don’t give a s**t who you vote for, but you better vote.”

Too many veterans died “to save democracy, to save the world,” he added. 

American Legion National Commander Daniel Seehafer presented Honoré with a membership in the organization. He commanded an infantry battalion in Desert Storm that survived 18 scud missile attacks that were shot down by patriot missiles, he said. “We earned the combat patch from First Infantry Division,” and he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal without v for direct combat.

Honoré ended his remarks with a challenge to Legionnaires – to remind today’s generation that to live free is a privilege that must not be forgotten.

“American Legion, lead the way. Lead the f***ing way.”