WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE BRISTOL 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION!

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2011 Fourth of July Patriotic Exercises

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2011 Fourth of July Patriotic Speaker - Brigadier General (Ret) Rick Baccus

This year I had three requirements for my Chief Marshal. First, I wanted someone who is a lifelong resident of Bristol, second, someone who is very involved in community service and third someone who has a long history of ties to the Fourth of July Celebration.

General Baccus received a regular Army commission in 1974 as an Infantry Officer through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program as a Distinguished Military Graduate and immediately entered active duty. He served in a variety of command and staff positions on active duty before transferring to the Rhode Island National Guard in 1978.

His last active duty assignment before promotion to Brigadier General was as the United States Property and Fiscal Officer for Rhode Island, a title 10 tour officer reporting to the Chief, National Guard Bureau. His responsibilities included receiving and accounting for all federal funds and property assigned to the Rhode Island National Guard, and the assignment was a joint billet.

Brigadier General Rick Baccus assumed duties as the Commander, 43rd Military Police Brigade on March 7, 2001. As the Commander, he was responsible for the readiness of six units and over eight hundred soldiers assigned to the Rhode Island Army National Guard. Brigadier General Baccus was activated in March 2002 to serve as the Commander of Joint Task Force ("JTF") 160, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba under Operation Enduring Freedom as the first National Guard Commander of the JTF. As the JTF Commander, he was responsible for the security and operations of the Naval Base, the over four thousand military and civilian personnel assigned, and the detention operation of over 600 enemy combatants. Additionally, he oversaw the deployment of the 43rd Military Police Brigade to Guantanamo Bay to become the JTF headquarters. Brigadier General Baccus redeployed on October 2002 when JTF 160 was merged. The JTF was awarded the Joint Unit Meritorious Award for the period January to October 2002.

Brigadier General Baccus was assigned to the US Army Reserve until April 2006 when by law, he was transferred to the Retired Reserve after 32 years of military service and over 22 years of active duty service.

Brigadier General Baccus is a 1992 graduate of the US Army War College, a 1990 graduate of the University of Rhode Island with a Masters Degree in Business Administration (Cum Laude), and a 1974 graduate of Eastern Michigan University majoring in Mathematics (Cum Laude).

Brigadier General Baccus' awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal with 3 oak leaf clusters, the Rhode Island Star with 2 oak leaf clusters, the Expert Infantry Badge, the Master Parachute Badge, the Pathfinder Badge, Ranger Tab, and the Special Forces Tab.

In 2002, he began his career with the State of Rhode Island, first serving as the Administrator for the Veteran's Cemetery in Exeter; reassigned as the Assistant Administrator at the RI Veterans Home in 2002; and was promoted to Administrator for Finance and Contracting for the Division of Behavioral Healthcare, Department of Mental Health Retardation and Hospitals in 2003. On September 2, 2008 he was appointed as the Administrator for the RI Veterans Home in Bristol, responsible for the care of over 200 Veterans who reside there.

Brigadier General Baccus is a life member of several veterans' organizations to include American Legion Post #1 Providence, AMVETS Post #37 Bristol, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #237 Bristol, the Special Forces Association Chapter 49 RI, the Military Police Regimental Association, RI Chapter, and several other organizations. He is also a member of the Bristol Fourth of July Committee, the Bristol Christmas Festival Committee, Bristol County Lodge #1860 Elks, and Bristol Council #379, Knights of Columbus.

Brigadier General Baccus has resided in Bristol since July 2000 with his wife Patricia (Prenda) who was born and raised in Bristol.

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