by Terry Trahan, Jr.

A half-century ago, American troops traveled to Vietnam in the South China Sea to engage in war against Communism. This immense civil conflict unfolded in a land only two and a half times the size of Louisiana. But when it comes to war, size doesn’t matter. The entire world seemed small to these soldiers at this time.

College graduations in the turbulent ‘60s served as the perfect platform to launch new recruits into this small world called war. While Uncle Sam was randomly selecting civilians, trained brigades were deployed into combat. Few voluntarily walked into the service, but they knew the choice wasn’t really theirs anyway. Strangely, a quartet rooted in Terrebonne Parish gave education a go, but ordered a side of the military as well. This band of brothers enlisted and never looked back. They excelled through the ranks to become brigadier and major generals, rarely taking a moment to appreciate the uniqueness of their origins and their rise to the top.

Today, Major Generals Hunt Downer, Jr. and Gary Whipple of the United States Army and Louisiana National Guard, as well as Brigadier General Sam deGeneres of the United States Air Force and Louisiana Air National Guard have returned to Houma to settle down with their families. Major General Jimmey Morrell of the United States Air Force passed away in 2006, but his legacy and work at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida live on. Members of his family still call Schriever home.

The three distinguished veterans recently reunited at Downer’s home for what he jokingly called a “general” meeting. War stories were swapped as they freely recalled civilian memories and mishaps in their assignments. Downer’s ebony-glossed BlackBerry rang once before being silenced. He couldn’t resist venting over technology’s complications, citing a recent text glitch that translated all English messages to Aramaic on his smartphone; they all laughed.

“There are 10,000 comedians out of work, and here are three standing before you,” Downer cracks one last time before focusing on the complicated web in which the generals became entangled over four decades ago.

“It’s truly humbling to have become where I am,” deGeneres says about becoming a brigadier general. “I’ve been blessed with many mentors and a large group of supportive people. It’s been a career I would have never planned for myself. A lot more people had faith in me than I did.”

“I wear a uniform because only a boy from Bourg raised in a shotgun house can rise to the rank of general in the U.S. Army,” Whipple adds while reflecting on the rarity of their situation as contemporaries.

In 1958, Whipple enlisted in the National Guard to avoid the imminent draft. He knew the odds were against him, so he completed basic training and served six months on active duty. Education remained a priority, so he dually enrolled at Nicholls State University, where he later earned a bachelor’s degree in social science education in 1964. Whipple also sold men’s clothing at Saadi’s Haberdashery to supplement his income while in college.

Downer, Morrell and deGeneres received their high school diplomas just as Whipple was settling into his career. Morrell enrolled at Whipple’s alma mater, but Downer and deGeneres escaped to Louisiana State University. Memories from the college appear vague for the state’s future seven-term representative and speaker of the house.

“I wasn’t there long enough because of my outstanding academic achievement,” Downer jokes with a mischievous grin wrapping cheek to cheek. “I was given a sabbatical to refocus.”

As a result, his scholarship was revoked, forcing him to settle for a temporary offshore career at Bay Drilling Co. Downer soon grew frustrated with his new job and vowed to complete his degree.

“I knew that given the opportunity to go back to school, I was going,” he recalls.He joined Morrell at NSU in 1965, where they became fraternity brothers in Phi Kappa Theta. They often traveled to Baton Rouge to attend Greek socials at LSU, meeting deGeneres and his future wife Susie Barker at these rendezvous.

“LSU was the No. 1 party school,” Downer says. “I was a team player and wanted to make sure it stayed that way.”

Oddly, Susie and Downer shared a connection in high school due to their final class ranking. Both ranked 210 out of 350 in their graduating class.

“Being the gentleman I was, I let her graduate first,” Downer quickly mentions. “Our greeting is now ‘Hey, 210!’”

While in college, Downer also worked at Saadi’s Haberdashery to make ends meet.

“I probably followed in Whipple’s footsteps to take his place there,” he recalls.

“There used to be a weight room in the back of Saadi’s,” deGeneres says. “Every once in a while, we’d meet there. I showed Hunt and his buddies some good times together. We laughed a lot.”

Whipple had moved on from the business to pursue a master’s degree in counselor education, to teach social studies courses at local schools and to participate in Louisiana’s 256th Infantry Brigade.

In 1968, deGeneres graduated from LSU with a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology, but flying was his childhood dream.

“I used to draw airplanes in grade school,” he recalls. “My dad had a friend who flew sea planes. I got in the front with him when I was six years old. I couldn’t see over the glass shield, but I knew I wanted to fly.”

This was also the time deGeneres and Downer first discovered their friendship. Raised on neighboring streets, they considered Houma’s Shady Oak Park a meeting ground. Downer took a job as a paperboy and delivered the daily news to the deGeneres family until he moved to Bayou Blue. Just over a decade later, they embraced leadership positions in Uncle Sam’s military that neither thought imaginable.

Initially turned down for a position in the Air National Guard, deGeneres visited the recruiter’s office in Baton Rouge to vouch for a coveted spot, determined to put his avian ambition to good use. Documentation citing previous flight training raised an eyebrow, so he was granted entrance into the United States Air Force. He later commanded Louisiana’s first F-15 squadron.

Meanwhile, Downer graduated from NSU with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture. Realizing his degree was useless outside marriage or inheritance, he joined the Army Reserves and became a combat engineer. He set his eyes on law school, but was rejected by Louisiana’s exhaustive list of schools offering the degree. He returned to Saadi’s Haberdashery for advice and was sent to Harvey Peltier, Jr., a politician with a voice and a vision for the Louisiana State Senate. He arranged for Downer to meet his father, Harvey Peltier, Sr. During their interview, Downer expressed his interest in law school, despite lacking the proper academic background. Ironically, Peltier owned Bay Drilling Co. and learned of Downer’s devoted work ethic there years before. He also happened to be on the board of directors of Loyola University. By day’s end, the prospective student had been accepted into Loyola Law School. He was also offered boarding above Peltier’s residence on Napoleon Avenue in New Orleans and assistance in tuition costs.

In the ‘70s, Whipple joined the staff at NSU and completed his doctorate in psychology while climbing the military ladder. He soon fell in love with Patricia Hernandez, a Cuban immigrant attending NSU, and they married in 1973. As supporters of Peltier’s campaign, they often attended socials at the politician’s New Orleans home. Downer and his wife Linda were also there, so the two National Guardsmen managed to routinely touch base. Downer completed his law degree in 1972, allowing him to finally find his proper place in service.

“Hunt was one of my JAG officers during the first Gulf War,” Whipple recalls in reference to his fellow general’s legal career. Downer and Whipple managed to reconnect with deGeneres at the Louisiana National Guard’s annual conventions. Meanwhile, Morrell traveled to Washington, D.C., to work in space operations. He became a science adviser under President Reagan’s administration and later commanded the 9th Space Division at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida. He passed away in 2006 after a 13-year battle with bone marrow cancer.

During deGeneres’s tenure in the Louisiana Air National Guard, he logged more than 3,000 flying hours. He retired in 2005 on his 60th birthday and 39th wedding anniversary. He now serves as general manager of Dick Barker, Inc.

Whipple relinquished his command in 1995 after serving 37 years in the Louisiana National Guard. He continued to lecture on psychology at NSU until 1999.

Downer remains active in the Louisiana National Guard. He is now assistant adjutant general after 41 years of service.

These decorated generals have retained their friendship while traveling around the globe, leading America’s soldiers in the fight for freedom. General status is never taken for granted; this distinction comes at cost, and they’ve paid their dues. Time with family must be sacrificed, and the sons and daughters of our nation are placed in jeopardy daily to ensure safety back home.

“To look a mother, father or child in the face and hand them a flag ...,” Downer chokes up before finishing his sentence. The remorseful stares on the generals’ faces conclude his thought. They’ve all been down that road before, and it’s a painful one.

“It’s a responsibility,” Downer continues. “Our commitment was to our troops. They’re the ones doing the work; we’re providing the guidance. It’s not service to yourself; it’s service to those who look to you for leadership. If you look at the traditions of Cajun Louisiana, we have strong family bonds and love for service.”

Despite their humility, a sense of pride beams from within. Military organization calls for three generals to command over 20,000 troops. Only 1 percent of the total force ever reaches flag rank. They’ve accomplished these feats and much, much more. They are diamonds in the rough, mined from the pride of Louisiana.

“It boggles my mind that we’ve all had this experience as contemporaries,” Whipple says. “We started in humble beginnings, persevered and stayed with it.”

“We’re blessed as friends,” Downer adds with a smile. “We’re battle buddies.” PoV