Rick Baccus
Encyclopedia
Army Brigadier General
Rick Baccus received a regular Army commission in 1974 as an Infantry Officer through the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program and immediately entered active duty.
at Camp X-Ray
in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He 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
- where prisoners were moved from Camp X-Ray.
Major-General Reginald Centracchio told the Washington Post 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:
After General Baccus’ departure from Guantanamo Bay, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
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.
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Rick Baccus received a regular Army commission in 1974 as an Infantry Officer through the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program and immediately entered active duty.
Education
- 1974 Eastern Michigan UniversityEastern Michigan UniversityEastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ypsilanti is west of Detroit and eight miles east of Ann Arbor. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School...
- BS Degree - Mathematics - 1990 University of Rhode IslandUniversity of Rhode IslandThe University of Rhode Island is the principal public research university in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Its main campus is located in Kingston. Additional campuses include the Feinstein Campus in Providence, the Narragansett Bay Campus in Narragansett, and the W. Alton Jones Campus in West...
- MBA - 1992 U.S. Army War College
Recent assignments
- Apr 90 - Aug 92, Chief, Plans, Operations, and Military Support Division, State Area Command, Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence, Rhode IslandProvidence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
- 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 Brigade43rd Military Police Brigade (United States)The 43rd Military Police Brigade is a military police brigade of the United States Army.-Organization:Within the Rhode Island Army National Guard, the 43D Military Police Brigade exercises command and control over the 118th Military Police Battalion, and its three separate Military Police companies...
, Warwick, Rhode IslandWarwick, Rhode IslandWarwick is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. It is the second largest city in the state, with a population of 82,672 at the 2010 census. Its mayor has been Scott Avedisian since 2000... - Mar 02 - Dec 02, Commander, Joint Task Force 160, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Operation Enduring Freedom
Military Decorations and Awards
- Defense Superior Service Medal
- Meritorious Service Medal (4 Awards)
- Army Commendation Medal (4 Awards)
- Army Achievement Medal (2 Awards)
- Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal (6 Awards)
- National Defense Service Medal (2 Awards)
- Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
- Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
- Armed Forces Reserve Medal (Silver Hour Glass and M Device)
- Army Service Ribbon
- Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon
- Rhode Island Star (3 Awards)
- Rhode Island Commendation Medal
- Rhode Island Defense Service Medal
- Rhode Island National Guard Service Medal
- Expert Infantryman Badge
- Master Parachutist Badge
- Pathfinder Badge
- ARNG Recruiter Badge
- German Parachutist Badge (Bronze)
- Ranger Tab
- Special Forces Tab
Camp X-Ray
On March 28, 2002, General Baccus took command of Joint Task Force 160 where he was the head of the Military PoliceMilitary police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
at Camp X-Ray
Camp X-Ray
Camp X-Ray was a temporary detention facility at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp of Joint Task Force Guantanamo on the U.S. Naval Base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.The first twenty detainees arrived at Guantanamo on January 11, 2002....
in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He 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
Camp Delta is a permanent detainment camp at Guantanamo Bay that replaced the temporary facilities of Camp X-Ray. Its first facilities were built between February 27 and mid-April 2002 by Navy Seabees, Marine Engineers, and workers from Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown and Root...
- where prisoners were moved from Camp X-Ray.
Major-General Reginald Centracchio told the Washington Post 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 [the Military IntelligenceMilitary intelligenceMilitary intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
team] floated 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.”
After General Baccus’ departure from Guantanamo Bay, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to...
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
Geoffrey Miller (general)
Geoffrey D. Miller is a retired United States Army Major General who commanded the US detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Iraq. Detention facilities in Iraq under his command included Abu Ghraib prison, Camp Cropper and Camp Bucca. He is also famous for training soldiers in "improved...
was appointed commander.