Tattoo of MG Ansel M. Stroud JR.
US Army, Retired

Dixie 

Major General Ansel M. Stroud, Jr., was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on April 5, 1927 and was raised in Dixie, Louisiana. 

Aggie War Hymn & Garry Owen March

General Stroud enlisted in the Army in April 1944. While in the Army Specialized Training Program, he attended Baylor University and Texas A&M and later graduated from the University of the State of New York in Albany with a Bachelor of Science in General Studies. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in 1946 after completing Officer Candidate School at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He served as an Instructor at Fort Knox and then was assigned to the 2d Division Reconnaissance Troops before being discharged. 

Blessings of Liberty (TRADOC March).

He joined the Louisiana Army National Guard in 1947. His military education includes the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and the Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. 

The Ballad of Rodger Young 

During his service with the Louisiana Army National Guard, he has been a Reconnaissance Officer; Commander of the Mortar Company out of the 199th Infantry Regiment, part of the 39th Infantry Division; Regimental Supply Officer; Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General of the 39th Infantry Division; and Commander of the 4th Battalion, 156th Infantry, part of the 256th Infantry Brigade in Shreveport, Louisiana. 

Stormy Weather 

In 1968, General Stroud was assigned as Chief of Staff for the State Emergency Operations Center at the Headquarters of the Louisiana Army National Guard in New Orleans, and in 1971, he became the Commander of the 356th Support Center, also in New Orleans. 

The Adjutant General's Corps Regimental March

He was appointed as Assistant Adjutant General of the State of Louisiana on 9 May 1972 and was promoted to Brigadier General in October of the same year. In August 1978, he accepted a dual assignment as the Commander of the 256th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized) in Lafayette, Louisiana.. 

Washington Post 

In 1977, General Stroud was selected to direct a Department of the Army study on full-time training and administration for the Guard and Reserve. This was known as the “Stroud Study” and was accepted by the Department of the Army as the guideline for the Army National Guard and Army Reserve full-time manning programs. The Stroud Study was the basis for launching the Active Guard Reserve program we have in force today. 

General Stroud was selected as the Adjutant General for the State of Louisiana in October 1980 and was promoted to Major General on 10 May 1981 with Federal recognition of the same date. 

The American Soldier & The Basin Street Blues 

General Stroud's military decorations and awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Meritorious Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army Commendation Medal, the Air Force Commen dation Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the World War I Victory Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with two Hourglass Devices and the Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal (National Guard) with two Oak Leaf Clusters. He also has received the Louisiana Distinguished Service Medal, the Louisiana Cross of Merit, the Louisiana War Cross, the Louisiana Emergency Service Medal with 19 Fleurs-de-lis, the 40-year Louisiana Longevity Medal, the National Guard Bureau Eagle Award, and the Association of the United States Army Reserve Meritorious Performance Award. He received the Citizen of the Year Award in 1989 given by the United States Marshals' Service for his service in procuring a place for their Special Operations Group to train. During the off-season for the National Guard, the Marshals Service shared Camp Beauregard, Louisiana. General Stroud was later able to build a $4 million-dollar building for the Marshals which is still rented from the state. 

Boy Scouts of America 

In addition to his duties as the Adjutant General, General Stroud has been active with the Boy Scouts of America and is the recip ient of the Silver Beaver Award and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. 

Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans 

General Stroud is a past President of the Adjutants General Association of the United States, is a past President of the National - Guard Association of the United States, and is a Trustee of the Association of the United States Army. He is a member of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Advisory Board, representing the National Guard Association of the United States. General Stroud is the immediate past Chairman of the Board of Commissioners for the Orleans Parish Communication District. 

When the Saints Go Marching In

General Stroud is married to the former Jane S. Joyner of Shreveport and, since retirement in November, has returned to Shreveport to make their home. They have four sons: Ansel III, an attorney in Shreveport; Daniel, a cardiovascular surgeon in Houston, Texas; William, an attorney in New Orleans and Allyn, an attorney in Shreveport.