During the chaos of Hurricane Katrina, Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré became known as the “Category 5 General.” His no-nonsense leadership helped shift the federal response -- but one moment defined him forever. At the New Orleans Convention Center, amid tens of thousands of stranded survivors, Honoré saw a mother clutching her 5-month-old twins. Soldiers around her had their weapons drawn. Honoré ordered them lowered, declaring: “They’re victims, not combatants.” He then carried one of the twins himself, handing the other to a soldier, and brought them to safety aboard a Coast Guard vessel for medical care. Nearly 20 years later, those twins credit Honoré’s actions with giving them a sense of purpose in life. One now serves as a U.S. Marine. In this one-on-one conversation with WWL Louisiana’s David Hammer, Honoré reflects on that day, his Katrina service and how disaster response in America changed because of it. 🔹 Highlights in this video: Gen. Honoré recalls his first moments in New Orleans after Katrina The famous command: “Put those weapons down” The rescue of Alexandra Wheeler’s twin boys ➡️ Watch more stories in our WWLTV Katrina Archives playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5rtbtQPnKpqRyGx3zUr8vzE21OoX0oSZ ➡️ Subscribe to WWLTV for more coverage: https://www.wwltv.com/