Rising from rural Louisiana to the nation’s most visible disaster response commander, Russel L. Honoré became a symbol of decisive leadership during Hurricane Katrina—and a lasting voice for national preparedness.
Russel L. Honoré was born in 1947 in Lakeland, Louisiana—during a hurricane. The circumstances of his birth would later feel almost prophetic. Raised by farmer parents Lloyd Honoré and Eudell St. Armant Honoré, he grew up as one of twelve children in a working-class household rooted in discipline, faith, and perseverance.
Honoré became the first in his family to attend college when he enrolled at Southern University in Baton Rouge. Majoring in vocational agriculture, his initial goal was modest: to become a dairy farmer. But participation in the university’s Army ROTC program altered his trajectory. Commissioned as an Army officer, Honoré entered active duty in 1971—beginning a military career that would span nearly four decades.
Over the years, Honoré served tours in Germany and South Korea and held senior command and staff assignments across the United States, including postings in Washington, D.C., Georgia (Fort Benning and Fort Gillem), and Texas (Fort Hood). Known internally for his blunt communication style and intolerance for bureaucratic delay, he steadily rose through the ranks.
By the early 2000s, Honoré was serving with the Standing Joint Force Headquarters–Homeland Security at U.S. Northern Command. In 2004, he was tasked with training First Army units preparing for deployment to Iraq. But it was the domestic crisis that unfolded the following year that would define his national legacy.
When Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans on August 29, 2005, overwhelming local and federal response systems, Honoré was ordered to take command of Joint Task Force–Katrina. The mission was unprecedented: coordinate and supervise all active-duty troops from every branch of the U.S. military for rescue, recovery, and security operations across the Gulf Coast.
As public frustration mounted over the widely criticized Federal Emergency Management Agency response, Honoré’s command presence stood in sharp contrast. His direct orders, visible leadership in flood-ravaged neighborhoods, and plainspoken defense of stranded residents quickly made him a trusted figure in the media—and a rare example of competence amid institutional failure.
Honoré’s message was simple and relentless: move supplies, restore order, protect civilians. His concern for those displaced by the storm—and his refusal to sugarcoat the situation—propelled him into the national spotlight and reshaped expectations for military involvement in domestic disaster response.
After retiring from the Army in 2008, Honoré shifted his focus toward public education and policy advocacy. He became a leading proponent of building a “culture of preparedness,” arguing that communities, governments, and families must plan proactively for disasters that are increasingly frequent and severe.
He articulated that philosophy in two books—Survival: How a Culture of Preparedness Can Save You and Your Family from Disasters (2009) and Leadership in the New Normal (2012)—and through numerous articles published in Military Review, Armor, the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, and the Crisis Response Journal.
Today, Lieutenant General Honoré resides in Baton Rouge with his wife, Beverly. Together they raised four children—Steven, Michael, Kimberly, and Stephanie.
In this 🎙️'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Black History Series, Honoré stands as a reminder that leadership is measured not by rank alone, but by action when institutions falter, and lives hang in the balance.
“This Black History article is sponsored by Ford Motor Company.”
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-- By Andre Leday
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