Rick Baccus


Army Brigadier General Rick Baccus received a regular Army commission in 1974 as an Infantry Officer through the Reserve Officers Training Corps program and immediately entered active duty. He is most noted for commanding the 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 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, General Baccus took command of Joint Task Force 160 where he was the head of the Military Police at Camp X-Ray in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In April 2002 a new detention facility, named Camp Delta 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.
Major General Reginald Centracchio, Adjutant General of the Rhode Island National Guard, 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.

Later career

General Baccus retired from the National Guard on December 5, 2002 - shortly after his return from Guantanamo Bay. He is currently employed as the administrator of the Rhode Island Veterans Home. In this position he oversaw the construction of an entirely new $73 million facility which is scheduled to be opened in November 2017.
Baccus is an active Freemason and a member of the Military Order of Foreign Wars.

Education