Rick Baccus
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Rick Baccus (born August 30, 1952) is a retired
Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG) is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Army. It is simultaneously part of two differen ...
Brigadier General. Baccus received a regular
Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
commission in 1974 as an Infantry Officer through the
Reserve Officers Training Corps The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC; or ) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. While ROTC graduate officers serve in all branches o ...
(ROTC) program and immediately entered active duty. He is most noted for commanding the Guantanamo Bay detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 2002.


Military career

After serving four years on active duty with the U.S. Army, Baccus became a full-time staff officer with the Rhode Island Army National Guard. He held various positions, mostly related to operations and logistics, and was selected as the United States Property and Fiscal Officer for Rhode Island in June 1999. In this position he was responsible for accounting for all funds and equipment held by the Rhode Island National Guard. He was appointed commanding officer of the
43rd Military Police Brigade The 43rd Military Police Brigade is a military police brigade of the United States Army. It is part of the Rhode Island National Guard. Organization Within the Rhode Island Army National Guard, the 43rd Military Police Brigade commands the 118 ...
in 2001 and promoted to brigadier general at the same time. Late in 2001, the Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 43rd MP Brigade was selected to become the command element of Joint Task Force 160 to oversee detention operations at Guantanamo Bay.


Guantanamo Bay

On March 28, 2002, Baccus took command of Joint Task Force 160 where he was the head of the
Military Police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. Not to be confused with civilian police, who are legally part of the civilian populace. In wartime operations, the military police may supp ...
at
Camp X-Ray Camp X-Ray was a temporary detention facility at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp of Joint Task Force 160 on board the United States Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. The first twenty detainees arrived at Guantanamo on 11 January 2002. It was n ...
in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In April 2002, a new detention facility named
Camp Delta Camp Delta is a permanent American Guantanamo Bay detention camp, detainment camp at Guantanamo Bay that replaced the temporary facilities of Camp X-Ray. Its first facilities were built between 27 February and mid-April 2002 by Seabee (US Navy), ...
was opened at Guantanamo and all detainees were transferred there. Baccus was removed from his post less than 7 months later. The US Army said General Baccus had been replaced on October 9, 2002, as part of a reorganization of
Camp Delta Camp Delta is a permanent American Guantanamo Bay detention camp, detainment camp at Guantanamo Bay that replaced the temporary facilities of Camp X-Ray. Its first facilities were built between 27 February and mid-April 2002 by Seabee (US Navy), ...
.Former Guantánamo chief clashed with army interrogators , Special reports , Guardian Unlimited
/ref> Major General Reginald Centracchio, Adjutant General of the
Rhode Island National Guard The Rhode Island National Guard consists of the: * Rhode Island Army National Guardbr>* Rhode Island Air National Guardbr>** 102nd Information Warfare Squadron ** 143d Airlift Wing ** 281st Combat Communications Group ** 282nd Combat Communicat ...
, told the
Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
that he stripped General Baccus of his duties as head of military police because he had lost trust and confidence in Baccus as a commander. However, in a Frontline interview that aired on August 27, 2005, General Baccus responded to a question relating to his "being sacked" in this manner: :Baccus: "Well, first of all, any reports of my being sacked are absolutely untrue. I was awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal for my time frame at Guantanamo. I was given an outstanding officer evaluation report upon my leaving. And as you may be aware, Joint Task Force 160 was given the Joint Unit Meritorious Award for their time period in Guantanamo, of which I was the commander of that joint task force seven out of the nine months in the period of time of the award. So to say that I was sacked, I think, is a falsified impression placed in the press by the usual "unnamed sources" that refuse to come forward. ...". :Baccus: …Within several days after I left, that's when they he Military Intelligence team">Military_Intelligence.html" ;"title="he Military Intelligence">he Military Intelligence teamfloated the first memo about how they wanted to operate differently." :Frontline: "And what was that? " :Baccus: "That is what I read in the [Gen. Randall M.] Schmidt report, but that's the one where they suggested they have other means [by] which to interrogate the detainees. " :…The question is whether or not if we do [things allowed by the Schmidt report] to a detainee, are we willing to have somebody else do that to an American? If that's acceptable in our country, then fine. If not, then we need to rethink about what we're doing." Following Baccus' departure from Guantanamo Bay, Secretary of Defense
Donald Rumsfeld Donald Henry Rumsfeld (July 9, 1932 – June 29, 2021) was an American politician, businessman, and naval officer who served as United States Secretary of Defense, secretary of defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and again ...
gave the Military Intelligence Team control over the Military Police and all aspects of Camp X-Ray and, later, Camp Delta. Major General Geoffrey Miller was appointed commander.


Later career

General Baccus retired from the National Guard on December 5, 2002, shortly after his return from Guantanamo Bay. He was later employed as the administrator of the Rhode Island Veterans Home, overseeing the construction of an entirely new $73 million facility which opened in November 2017. Baccus resigned as administrator of the Veterans Home in January 2020 amid controversies about the facility's budget.


Education

* 1974
Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public university, public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal ...
- BS Degree - Mathematics * 1990
University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of Rhode Island. The univer ...
- MBA * 1992 U.S. Army War College


Former assignments

* Apr 90 - Aug 92, Chief, Plans, Operations, and Military Support Division, State Area Command,
Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...
* Aug 92 - Jun 96, Director of Personnel, State Area Command, Providence, Rhode Island * Jul 96 - May 99, Supervisory Logistics Management Specialist and Assistant United States Property and Fiscal Officer for Rhode Island, Providence, Rhode Island * Jun 99 - Mar 01, United States Property and Fiscal Officer, National Guard Bureau, with duty at Providence, Rhode Island * Mar 01 – Dec 02, Commander,
43rd Military Police Brigade The 43rd Military Police Brigade is a military police brigade of the United States Army. It is part of the Rhode Island National Guard. Organization Within the Rhode Island Army National Guard, the 43rd Military Police Brigade commands the 118 ...
,
Warwick, Rhode Island Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States, and is the third-largest city in the state, with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Warwick is located approximately south of downtown Pr ...
* Mar 02 - Oct 02, Commander, Joint Task Force 160, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,
Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...


Military decorations and awards

*
Defense Superior Service Medal The Defense Superior Service Medal (DSSM) is a military decoration of the United States Department of Defense, which is presented to United States Armed Forces service members who perform superior meritorious service in a position of significant ...
*
Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...
*
Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: Singapore *Pingat Jasa Gemilang, or Meritorious Services Me ...
with three
oak leaf cluster An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem. It is authorized by the United States Armed Forces for a spec ...
s (4 Awards) *
Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issu ...
with three oak leaf clusters (4 Awards) *
Army Achievement Medal The Achievement Medal is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. The Achievement Medal was first proposed as a means to recognize outstanding achievement or meritorious service of military personnel who were not eligible to rece ...
with one oak leaf cluster (2 Awards) *
Joint Meritorious Unit Award The Joint Meritorious Unit Award (JMUA) is a US military award that was established on June 4, 1981, by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and was implemented by Department of Defense Directive 1348.27 dated July 22, 1982. The Joint Meritor ...
* Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal with one silver oak leaf cluster (6 Awards) *
National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It was awarded to every member of the U.S. Armed Forces who served during any one of four s ...
with two stars (3 Awards) *
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal The Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal (GWOT-EM) is a United States Armed Forces award created by George W. Bush on 12 March 2003, through Executive Order 13289. The medal recognizes those military service members who have deployed over ...
*
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal (GWOT-SM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was created through Executive Order 13289 on 12 March 2003, by President George W. Bush. The medal recognizes those military service ...
*
Armed Forces Reserve Medal The Armed Forces Reserve Medal (AFRM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, service medal of the United States Armed Forces that has existed since 1958. The medal recognizes service performed by members of the reserve com ...
with silver hour glass and "M" device *
Army Service Ribbon The Army Service Ribbon (ASR) is a military award of the United States Army that was established by the Secretary of the Army on 10 April 1981 as announced in Department of the Army General Order 15, dated 10 October 1990. The Navy, Marine Corps, ...
* Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon * Rhode Island Star with two oak leaf clusters (3 Awards) * Rhode Island Commendation Medal * Rhode Island Gubernatorial Unit Citation * Rhode Island Defense Service Medal with oak leaf cluster * Rhode Island National Guard Service Medal with two "X" devices *
Expert Infantryman Badge The Expert Infantryman Badge (EIB) is a special skills badge of the United States Army. The EIB was created with the CIB by executive order in November 1943 during World War II. Currently, it is awarded to U.S. Army personnel who hold infantry ...
*
Master Parachutist Badge The Parachutist Badge, also commonly referred to as "Jump Wings", is a military badge of the United States Armed Forces. Some services, such as the Marine Corps, officially refer to it as an insignia instead of a badge. The United States Space Fo ...
*
Pathfinder Badge The Pathfinder Badge is a military badge of the United States Army awarded to soldiers who complete the U.S. Army Sabalauski Air Assault School's Pathfinder Course or the Army National Guard, Warrior Training Center, Mobile Training Team's Pathf ...
* ARNG Recruiter Badge * German Parachutist Badge (Bronze) * Ranger Tab *
Special Forces Tab The Special Forces Tab is a service school qualification tab of the United States Army, awarded to any soldier completing the Special Forces Qualification Course at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, N ...


Dates of rank

* 2LT, AUS - 29 Apr 74 * 2LT, RA - 5 Jun 74 * 1LT, AUS - 29 Apr 76 * CPT, AUS - 13 Jun 78 * CPT, USAR - 1 Aug 78 * CPT, ARNG - 8 Aug 78 * MAJ, ARNG - 8 Sep 83 * LTC, ARNG - 1 Aug 88 * COL, ARNG - 22 Aug 92 * BG, ARNG - 7 Mar 01 Brigadier General Rick Baccus
/ref>


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baccus, Rick United States Army generals Eastern Michigan University alumni University of Rhode Island alumni Living people United States Army War College alumni Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal 1952 births