Ansel Stroud
Ansel Martin Stroud, Jr., often called Buddy Stroud (April 5, 1927 – July 1, 2016), was a United States Army major general from Shreveport, Louisiana, whose career extended from 1944 to 1997. He was particularly known as the adjutant general of the Louisiana National Guard during the administrations of Governors David C. Treen, Edwin Edwards, Buddy Roemer, and Mike Foster.
| Ansel Martin "Buddy" Stroud, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 5, 1927 Reared in Dixie, Caddo Parish Louisiana, USA |
| Died | July 1, 2016 Place of death missing |
| Occupation | Major General in the United States Army Adjutant General of the Louisiana National Guard |
| Spouse | (1) Virginia Elizabeth Doyle (2) Jean Talbot Hopkins |
| Religion | United Methodist |
Background
Stroud was the younger of two children and the only son of A. M. Stroud, Sr. (1890-1968), who died in Cullen in Webster Parish, and the former Grace Killingsworth (1904-1988).Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag
Career
Stroud received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of the State of New York and studied as well at the Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He joined the Louisiana National Guard in June 1947. In 1962, he was named president of the National Guard Association of Louisiana. In 1989, he was appointed director of the Louisiana Office of Emergency Preparedness. He was president too of the National Guard Association of the United States and president of the Adjutants General Association of the United States. Under Stroud, some 6,400 Louisiana National Guard personnel in 1991 were mobilized during Operation Desert Storm, in which IraqI forces were quickly expelled from Kuwait. Units under Stroud trained and participated in joint military exercises with other countries world-wide. Stroud worked to develop the Youth Challenge Program, which operating in thirty-seven states has sought to rehabilitate troubled young people and to give them the skills to render productive lives.[1]
In 1972, Governor Edwin Edwards in the first of his four terms in office, named Stroud the assistant adjutant general of the Louisiana National Guard. Edwards' first successor and two-time opponent, David C. Treen, elevated Stroud to adjustant general in 1980.
Stroud was also a farmer and businessman and the first director of the Red River Economic Development Corporation in Shreveport, through which he worked to obtain federal grants for agencies in northwestern Louisiana. He was affiliated with the Masonic lodge, the Shriners, and the Ellerbe Road United Methodist Church in Shreveport.
Stroud died from complications of a medical procedure.[1] He is interred at Forest Park East Cemetery at 3700 St. Vincent Avenue in Shreveport. Stroud described himself "a God-fearing man that did his best, and have asked for God's mercy and forgiveness."[2] Stroud won many military medals; his obituary focuses on his patriotism, which "knew no limits, and he was fully committed to the defense of the Constitution of the United States and to the defense of our nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic."[1] General Frank Grass, the 27th chief of the National Guard Bureau, attributed much of the success of the Louisiana Guard to Stroud's leadership: "He was a tremendous visionary. He just set us on the path for so many things."[2]
The Ansel M. Stroud, Jr. Military History and Weapons Museum at the Jackson Barracks headquarters of the Louisiana Nationa; Guard in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans is named in honor of Stroud, who worked to establish the facility. He was also an inductee of the Louisiana National Guard Hall of Fame and was among the first named to the Louisiana Justice Hall of Fame.[1]
References
[[Category: