My name is Russel Honoré, Lieutenant General, United States Army, retired. I was born and raised in Louisiana, in a little place called Lakeland, about 125 miles north of New Orleans. I spent 37 years in the Army.

I spend most of my time now doing public speaking about leadership and preparedness in the “new normal.” I’ve written two books, “Survival” and “Leadership in the New Normal.” I spend my volunteer time, about 70 percent of my waking hours, working with poor communities in Louisiana that are being affected by both air and water pollution. I do that under the brand “The Green Army.”

Can you describe the environment and culture of the area?

I grew up on a small subsistence farm in Lakeland. I was the 8th of 12 children. It was a relatively poor community, small farmers getting by. My parents were of the last generation of farmers in our family, as well as most of the community there. But it was a good life. We went to Rosenwald High School, a segregated school system in south Louisiana, and from there I was the first in my family to go off to college at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1966. And in January of ’71 I got my commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the infantry, and my degree in Vocational Agriculture. At that time, I had an obligation to go in the Army, because we still had the draft going. And what started off as an obligation ended up as a 37 year, 3 months, and 3 day career in the military.

Can you tell me about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill?