|
THREE-STAR CELEBRITY |
|
by Jeff Duncan Staff writer Monday, September 19, 2005 A straight-shooting, take-charge 'John Wayne dude,' Lt. Gen. Russel Honore appeared to be exactly what New Orleans needed after Hurricane Katrina hit. And whether he likes it or not, he's become an instant icon in the process. General follows orders from his younger daughter As he strides through the rubble that once was downtown New Orleans, the sturdy man with the aviator sunglasses, the black beret and three shiny silver stars is the focus of all eyes. Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, the commanding general of Joint Task Force Katrina, is on the scene - and everybody knows it. Police officers, relief workers and medical personnel flock to him to shake his hand or pose for pictures. One by one, U.S. senators fight their way through the crowd to congratulate him for his efforts. His aide, Lt. Col. Richard Steele, constantly fields e-mails on his Blackberry for interview requests. Vanity Fair magazine, Larry King, "Meet the Press" and "Face the Nation" are jockeying for his time. Honore didn't sign up for this. When President Bush assigned him to command Joint Task Force Katrina, Honore knew it would be the most difficult operation of his life. He commands more than 20,000 active-duty troops from all military branches devoted to the storm recovery operation in the three-state region. He didn't anticipate that in doing so, he'd become a national celebrity. The 36-year military veteran from Lakeland, La., has become Hurricane Katrina's reluctant superstar. "The general is getting tired of all of these profiles," Steele said. "He's a humble guy. He didn't want to become a celebrity from all this. He wants the focus to be on the mission and not on himself." Good luck. The Honore legend began from the moment his boots hit Canal Street and national TV cameras captured him dressing down soldiers for carrying their firearms with the barrels pointed too high. Then, with the floodwaters rising and his city in disarray, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin cemented Honore's hero status during an emotional interview with WWL-AM radio in the chaotic days after the storm. A few breaths after he ripped President Bush and the federal government for their slow response, Nagin went out of his way to praise Honore, admiringly dubbing the general "one John Wayne dude." "He came off the doggone chopper, and he started cussing and people started moving," Nagin said. "And he's getting some stuff done. 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, and we can save some people." Honore became an overnight sensation. Hometown hero In the aftermath of the storm, he has emerged as the white knight for those affected by Katrina, a salty-mouthed, cigar-chomping guardian angel in camouflage. His take-charge attitude and no-nonsense style have endeared him to storm victims who were frustrated by the dithering and finger-pointing of administration officials. "We're very fortunate to have someone of his experience and ability here," New Orleans Police Superintendent Eddie Compass said. "He's a good man and very much has control of the Army. He and I have worked together very, very well." Time Magazine said Honore has built a strong case for its prestigious Person of the Year award, and it's almost certain President Bush will reward him with a fourth star for his tireless work in the flooded streets of New Orleans and the debris-strewn Mississippi and Alabama coasts. "He deserves it," said Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, who, under Honore's direction, commands the 7,000 active-duty troops in the 82nd Airborne Division. "He's a great leader. He knows the area, understands the people and doesn't take 'no' for an answer." A quick study, Honore has learned to refine his message to the media. Many of his pet phrases are now well known to the hundreds of reporters who have covered the Katrina story daily since Aug. 29. Among them: - "The storm had a vote." - "Don't confuse a plan with execution. A plan is like good intentions. You don't win with good intentions." - "You're looking at a calendar, and I'm looking at my watch." - "Normally, we go in and break things. Here we're trying to fix things." Honore has compared Katrina to a military opponent, saying the hurricane made "a classic military maneuver" by surprising its victims and overwhelming them with shock and force. "This was an evil storm," Honore said. "We've got a disaster of biblical proportions here." He's also fond of comparing the mission to a football game. "By definition, you're going to lose the first quarter in a disaster," he said in a now well-worn analogy. "What does a coach do when his team is losing 25-0 after the first quarter? Does he call the quarterback over and tell him how stupid he is because he didn't play right, or does he get out the white board and start making adjustments? "Now we can stay talking about the first quarter. All of you are talking about the first quarter. But there's still three quarters left to this thing. The next three quarters can be as tragic as the first quarter if we don't handle this right." Tired of the questions Lately, Honore has grown increasingly weary of dealing with the horde of reporters in the area. During a briefing with city officials at City Hall last week, he spent most of his time checking his watch and working his cell phone. After 15 minutes and one question, he shook Compass' hand and bolted. "I can't swing a stick and not a hit a reporter," Honore said. "I didn't know there were so many of them." Honore tangled with two reporters Friday during an impromptu news conference at the staging area at Harrah's New Orleans Casino. When grilled about the breakdowns in security for the thousands of evacuees at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, he showed reporters why his troops have nicknamed him "The Ragin' Cajun." "OK, reporter," he growled. "How many people did you take out? How many people did you give water to?" Another reporter asked Honore why it took so long for the evacuation buses to arrive and noted that he was able to drive himself into the city. "Where were we going to find the buses at, mister?," he shouted. He added: "You see, you're confusing what you can do with money in your pocket and the corporate sponsorship of some news company with taking care of 20,000 people with no water in an unsafe environment. You're confusing what you can do with how you try to take care of that many people in that amount of time. Don't confuse that, OK?" Man of the people Honore is uniquely qualified for his recent mission. He was commander of the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea and commander of the Standing Joint Force Headquarters for Homeland Security, part of the U.S. Northern Command. He saw action in Iraq and Kuwait during 1991's Operation Desert Storm, and he holds a master's degree in human resources management. As a Louisiana native and commanding general of the 1st Army at Fort Gillem, Ga., Honore was familiar with the disaster zone. Honore spent two summers with relatives in New Orleans' 9th Ward. As a child, he spent two weeks at Charity Hospital after being hit in the head with a baseball bat. Honore said his primary goal is to save lives and help the city's recovery efforts. He empathizes with many of the evacuees, especially the ones who suffered in the hellish conditions at the Convention Center and Superdome. "By-and-large, these were people that were frustrated - I would be, too," Honore said. "I get frustrated at the cash register counter when the paper runs out." Although gruff and intense with his troops, Honore has displayed uncommon compassion with many of the elderly, infirm and poor people affected by the storm. "These were mostly poor people who didn't have much other than their homes," Honore said. "We didn't pull anybody off those rooftops that said, 'Damn, I left my Lexus!' " Of the poor, he said: "When it's hot, they're hotter. When it's cold, they're colder. When the wind blows, they go over farther. And when a plague hits, they die faster." Honore can identify with Louisiana's underprivileged. He was one of them once. The son of a Creole farmer, Honore was the youngest boy in a family of 12 children. He was raised on a farm in Lakeland, a rural community northwest of Baton Rouge in Pointe Coupee Parish. The family raised sugar cane, corn, squash and cotton. They also had pigs, cows and chickens. He graduated from Southern University in 1971 and entered the Army as a second lieutenant through the ROTC program. He rose steadily through the ranks. "When he shoots from the hip, it's always based on experience, and his experience is where the rubber meets the road," said Army Gen. Dennis Reimer, who served as Army chief of staff from 1995 to 1999, in an interview with the Washington Post. Said Caldwell: "They call him 'Ragin Cajun' for a reason. When he gets on a tirade, it's something to watch. Some people deal with that better than others, but I love him to death." Honore, who turned 58 Thursday, and his wife, Beverly, have four children. Oldest son Michael, 29, is an Army sergeant who recently was serving in Baghdad, Iraq. Their youngest child, Stephen, is 15. His oldest daughter, Stephanie, lives in Florida, where she recently gave birth to Honore's first grandson. His other daughter, Kimberly, lives in Kenner. She evacuated to Stephanie's home in St. Petersburg when Hurricane Katrina hit. But, like many evacuees, she left behind her pets. She e-mailed her father daily to rescue her cat, Gumbo, and hamster, Hammie. After 10 days in the city, Honore finally accomplished the search-and-rescue mission. "I've got 80 helicopters in the air and we're trying to evacuate 20,000 people from the Convention Center, and she's e-mailing me every day about her cat," Honore said. A man of duty, the general followed orders. He made the trek to Jefferson Parish. "The good news is they were OK," Honore said. "The cat was living large in that place." |