Major
General
Robert B. Landry
December 1, 1909 - July 14, 2000
Robert Broussard
Landry was born on December 1, 1909 in New Orleans,
Louisiana, the son of Luke Valcour Jr. and Josephine Sharpe.
He is a direct descendant of Captain Pierre Joseph Landry of
St. Gabriel who was commander of a company in the 8th
Louisiana Regiment during the War of 1812 (Battle of New
Orleans) He attended Tulane University for a year and then
entered the United States Military Academy in June, 1928;
Graduated in June 1932; Commissioned 2nd Lieutenant, United
States Army.
He married Mildred (Myldred)
Marie Plauche. They had two children, they being Robert
Broussard Landry Jr. and Roberta Landry (Mrs. William G.
Blackburn). Robert and Mildred were later divorced. He had
two step-children, Douglas Bishop and Cara, from another
marriage.
General
Landry has had a long and distinguished military career.
- Served as
Infantry Commander for two years, at Fort Huachuca,
Arizona, 1932-1934. After which he attended flying
training.
- Awarded
pilot's wings, Army Air Corps, at Kelly Field, Texas, in
February, 1935 and graduated with the rating of Pilot in
March 1935. He was then transferred to the Army Air
Corps, where he served as flying instructor at Kelly
Field, Texas followed by a 2 year tour of duty in the
Canal Zone with 16th and 20th Pursuit Groups in Panama
and later at Barksdale Field, Louisiana, 1935-1940.
- Performed
duties in newly-formed Army Hawaiian Air Forch, Hickam
Air Force Base in Honolulu as Operations Officer, Aide to
Commanding General and Executive Officer Hawaiian
Interceptor Command 1940-1942
- Following
the Japanese attack on Hawaii on December 7, 1941,
ordered to duty in February, 1942 with the 8th Air Force
in England for the air offensive against Germany
1942-1945.
In
England served in the order stated as:
- Director,
Combat Operations, 8th Fighter Command; Commander, 56th
Pursuit Group, P-47s; Director 8th Air Force fighter
operations, Lt. General James Doolittle, Commander;
Executive Officer, 93rd Bomber Wing; Commander, 493rd
Bomber Group, B-17s, and assistant Chief of Staff for
Operations of the Air Staff of the Supreme Headquarters
Allied Expeditionary Forces.
- On the
continent at Frankfurt; served as Director, Air Staff
SHAEF June to November, 1945 Reassigned to Washington
D.C., December, 1945 (January, 1946), to the Army- Navy
Operations Review Board of the Staff College for Study of
WWII operations.
- Joined
Staff and Faculty, National War College, Ft. McNair,
Washington, D.C., as instructor for Strategic Air
Operations, 1946. The following July, he entered the
national War College, from which he graduated in July,
1947 Assigned to Army Air Force Headquarters, Washington,
D.C., as Executive Officer to Chief of Staff of the U.S
Air Force. , General Carl Spaatz, August, 1947 Served as
first United States Air Force Aide to the President.
Harry S. Truman, February, 1948 - February, 1953.
- Returned to
Barksdale Air Force Base as Deputy Commander, 2nd
Strategic Air Force, February, 1953 - February 1955.
- On 7
February, 1955 he became Commander, 4th U.S. Air Force,
Hamilton Air Force Base, California
- 1955-57
Appointed Assistant Deputy, Chief of Staff for Personnel,
Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.,
- July 1,
1957 - June, 1960. Assigned to McClellan AFB, California
as Commander, Sacramento Air Materiel Area.
- June, 1960
- June, 1962. Retired with 30 years service on June 12,
1962. Rated Command Pilot. Accrued 7,500 hours flying
time: flew combat missions in P-47s and B-17s in European
Theatre.
The
Following decorations were received by Major General Robert B.
Landry:
- Distinguished
Service Medal, U.S. Airforce, 1962
- Legion of
merit, 1944
- Distinguished
Flying Cross with One Oak Leaf Cluster, 1944
- Air medal
with Four Oak Leaf Clusters, 1943
- French
Croixde Guerre, 1945
- Belgian
Croix de Guerre with Palm, 1947
- Order of
the Crown of Belgium with rank of Commander, 1948
- Order of
Orange-Nassau with Swords of the Netherlands
- Presidential
Medal of Merit of Nicaragua
- Bernado
O'Higgins Medal of Merit of Chile
- Aldon
Calderon Medal of merit of Ecudor
- Served in
U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII in Europe in the war
against Germany. Was on the staff of the commander of the
Strategic bombing of germany Served on White House Staff
of Harry S. Truman as Air Force advisor to the president
and probably pilot of the predecessor to Air Force One.
- He served
in this capacity until the end of Trumans term in 1952
After leaving the post at the White House, he became
Commander of 2nd Air Force at Barksdale AFB in Louisiana.
- General
Landry retired from Air force in June, 1962

The
Genealogy of
General Robert Broussard Landry
Robert
Broussard Landry, the son of Luke Valcour Landry Jr. and
Josephine Sharpe.
Luke
Valcour Landry, Jr. was born on November 3, 1873, in
Maringouin, Iberville Parish, La., the son of Luke Valcour
Landry Sr. He is, however, listed in the 1880 census of New
Orleans, - vol 23 - E D 11 - Sheet 15 - Line 51 - "Luke
Valcour Landry is enumerated as white born in Alabama on 22
December, 1877 and residing at 846 Camp St. with Louise
Barley as a boarder".
- In 1907 he
is listed in the New Orleans Directory as Luke V. Landry,
Jr.
- Employed by
the Customs dept and residing at 749 St. Charles. Luke
Valcour Landry, age 35, married Josephine Sharpe, age 26,
in New Orleans on October 15, 1908 as listed in the Times
Picayune on Oct. 17, 1908.
- In 1910 he
is listed in the New Orleans Directory as Luke V. Landry,
Jr. Clerk in the Customs Dept. and residing at 1415
Constantinople. He was enumerated as age 36 and his wife
Josephine was 26. Luke and Josephine's first child,
Robert B. Landry was enumerated, his age was not given.
He was probably just an infant at the time of the census.
- In the 1920
census of New Orleans in: vol 42 - E.D. 211 - Sheet 12 -
line 78 Luke Valcour Landry was enumerated as
"Valcour" Landry 46 years old and his wife
Josephine Landry was 39 years old. Robert B. Landry was
10 years old and a student. Luke and Josephine had two
other children listed in the census a son named Sharp,
age 7 and a daughter named Eloise, age 4.
- In 1930
Luke Valcour Landry was employed as a Clerk at the U.S.
Custom House in New Orleans He resided at 1128 Amelia St
And in 1931 he resided at 1307 Peniston in New Orleans ,
as did Robert Broussard Landry who was at this time a
student at the U.S. Military Academy and probably listed
this as his permanent address.
- Luke
Valcour (Valaze), Landry, Sr. was born November
20, 1841 in Louisiana, the son of Eugene Landry and
Marguerite Adrienne Hebert. He married on February 6,
1869, Hermance LeFreux, the daughter of Charles LeFeaux
and Felice Hotard and was probably residing in Alabama.
No record of him can be found in Hebert's books, or the
Baton Rouge Catholic Church records.
- Eugene
Landry was born June 30, 1810, the son of
Captain Pierre Joseph Landry and his 3rd wife, Henriette
Ebere (Hebert). He married on August 8, 1835, Marguerite
Adrienne Hebert. In the 1860 census of Iberville Parish,
page 26-dwelling 192-family 192, Eugene is enumerated as
a white male, age 50, planter with real estate valued at
38000 and 500. Marguerite is listed as age 42, white
female. Also listed were Eugene, 23, white male born in
Louisiana; Cezar, 22 white male born in Louisiana; Luke
Valaze, 18 white male born in Louisiana; Mary L., 20
white female born in Louisiana and Angela, 7 month old
white female born in Louisiana.
- Captain
Pierre Joseph Landry was born January 9, 1770,
the son of Pierre (Pedro) Joseph Landry Sr.and Marie
Josephe (Josef) Hebert. Pierre Jr. came to Louisiana from
France in 1785 with his mother and maternal grandfather,
Charels Hebert. They settled in Iberville Parish. After
the lost of his mother, he "was not a major",
so his paternal uncles filed the petiotion for her
probate. He married on June 30, 1790, Scholastique Breau,
daughter of Joseph Breau and Marie Josephe Landry.
Scholastique died in 1802 after the birth of her 6th
child. Pierre married again on January 16, 1804, to
Marguerite Rosalie Capdeville; this wife died in 1804
after childbirth. He remarried for a third time to
Henriette Ebere (Hebert). He became a sugar planter in
Iberville receiving a land grant on the west bank of the
Mississippi River having a 10 arpent, 6 toises frontage
on the river, by depth of 40 arpents.Was a 1st Lt. of a
company in Miriam's Militia, the 8th Regiment, La.
Militia, for defense of lower coast and New Orleans in
the War of 1812. He was known as Captain Landry.
Headstone erected by Daughter of 1812 in memory of him.
- Pierre
Joseph Landry Sr., born 1741 in Acadia, the son
of Rene Landry and Marie Theriot, daughter of Charles
Theriot and Elizabeth Leblanc, both natives of Acadia.
Pierre married on January 31, 1769. Marie Josephe Hebert,
daughter of Simon Hebert and Marie Anne Coe-se, born 1741
in Acadia. Pierre and Marie both were deported to England
by the English. They remained in English prison camps
until released to France in 1763. They were exiled to St.
Malo, France were Pierre was a carpenter. He died in St.
Malo in 1772.
- Rene
Landry, born 1716 in Acadia, was the son of
Abraham Landry and Marie Josephe Guilbeaux of Acadia. He
married on February 18, 1736, Marie Marguerite Theriot.
She was born November 11,1718, in Acadia the daughther of
Jacques Theriot and Marie Ann Leblanc.
- Abraham
Landry, tenth child of Rene Landry and Marie
Bernard, was born in 1678 in Acadia. He married Marie
Josephe Guilbeaux, daughter of Pierre Guilbeaux and
Jeanne Catherine Theriot. She was born in 1682 in Acadia.
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