ENROLLED
2023 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 130
BY REPRESENTATIVE COUSSAN AND SENATORS B OUDREAUX AND CORTEZ
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To commend Dr. Walter Benoit Comeaux, Jr., on the occasion of his one hundredth
birthday.
WHEREAS, Dr. Comeaux was born in Houma, Louisiana, on April 10, 1923; as a
boy, he spent his summers south of Houma drying shrimp and later worked in a lumberyard
that specialized in drilling mud and heavy timber; although his early work experience
consisted of blue collar jobs, he inherited his dentist father's scientific curiosity and
possessed a natural inclination to study medicine; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Comeaux attended Louisiana State University on a band scholarship
and joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC); upon completing his
undergraduate studies and four years of ROTC, he was made a private in the Army infantry
and assigned to the LSU Medical School in New Orleans; he graduated from medical school
on March 13, 1946, received surgical training through an internship program, and completed
a three-month course required for all medical officers; and
WHEREAS, after completing his medical education and training, Dr. Comeaux was
assigned to the South-East Asian Theater of World War II at the 49th General Hospital in
Tokyo, the only general hospital in Japan; he served the entirety of his overseas duty at this
hospital, which handled all serious cases from Japan, China, Korea, and Guam, while having
only three general surgeons and fifteen fellow medical officers to assist him; the relatively
small team of dedicated doctors took on unimaginable challenges with honor and
accomplished incredible feats, such as completing nine thousand six hundred thirty-one
operative procedures in a single year; and
Page 1 of 3 HCR NO. 130 ENROLLED
WHEREAS, while serving in Japan, Dr. Comeaux met Dorinne Kennedy, a
Canadian-born civilian-worker for the United States Air Force Intelligence Department, and
the two were married in the chapel of the 49th General Hospital in February 1949; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Comeaux was honorably discharged in 1949 and returned to the
United States to live in New Orleans, where he worked as an admitting physician at Charity
Hospital for thirteen months before taking a residency in general and thoracic surgery; and
WHEREAS, after completing his residency and passing the American Board of
Surgery exams, Dr. Comeaux and his wife moved to Lafayette, Louisiana, where he
established himself as a renowned general surgeon and pillar of the community who touched
the lives of thousands of patients during his nearly sixty years of practice; he served on
numerous philanthropic and foundation boards, including the Louisiana State University and
University of Louisiana at Lafayette Foundation boards, and he remains an avid supporter
of the Southwest Louisiana Mardi Gras Association and the Krewe of Gabriel over which
he reigned as King Gabriel XXXV in 1974; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Comeaux is an avid outdoorsman and nature conservationist who
cherished fishing and duck hunting throughout his life; he even had the opportunity to hunt
big game on multiple continents; and
WHEREAS, despite dedicating himself to the study and practice of medicine, Dr.
Comeaux has been fascinated by aviation since his youth visiting the Houma hangar to listen
to the conversations of traveling barnstormers; he rediscovered his passion for aviation in
the early 1960s, and by 1968, he completed his first solo flight to earn a pilot's license; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Comeaux worked as the senior Aviation Medical Examiner and
flight surgeon for Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. (PHI), he became involved with Helicopter
Association International (HAI), then-named the Helicopter Association of America, through
his work with PHI; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Comeaux continued his service with HAI as a critically important
member and chair of the safety committee from 1978 until 1985; he was an instrumental
force in the development of the first edition of the HAI Safety Manual; he also served as a
special advisor to the HAI board of directors from 1985 until 1998; and
Page 2 of 3 HCR NO. 130 ENROLLED
WHEREAS, while serving HAI, Dr. Comeaux received numerous awards including
the Joe Mashman Safety Award, the Lawrence D. Bell Memorial Award, and the Igor I.
Sikorsky Award for Humanitarian Service; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Walter Benoit Comeaux, Jr., is a truly incredible individual who
dedicated his professional life to the protection of others; he honorably served his country
overseas and saw to the treatment of countless individuals while working in Tokyo, and he
continued saving lives not only by serving as a surgeon in hospitals and on flights, but also
by improving safety practices throughout the rotorcraft industry; he is most deserving of the
highest recognition on the occasion of his one hundredth birthday.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
commend Dr. Walter Benoit Comeaux, Jr., on the occasion of his one hundredth birthday;
does hereby further recognize Dr. Comeaux for his valiant military service, dedication to the
practice of medicine, and efforts to improve rotorcraft safety; and does hereby extend
sincerest wishes that he continue to prosper and enjoy good health, for he is one of
Louisiana's most cherished sons.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
Page 3 of 3