Name Wheeler Baker | ||
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Awards Legion of Merit (3)Bronze StarPurple HeartJoint Service Commendation MedalNavy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (3) Education | ||
Allegiance United States of America | ||
Wheeler L. Baker was the ninth President of Hargrave Military Academy, and its current interim President. A career U.S. Marine, Baker commanded the unit made famous in the TV miniseries Generation Kill, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, from 1983 to 1985.
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Biography
Baker enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as a private, and served as an enlisted Marine for nine years. From 1962 to 1964, he served a tour as a drill instructor. Upon being presented with the opportunity to obtain a commission, Baker accepted and graduated from Officer Candidate School as an honor graduate. From January to July 1973, while a Captain, Baker attended Amphibious Warfare School (now called Expeditionary Warfare School), one of a total of 77 recipients of the Purple Heart in the class. A notable classmate of Baker's in that AWS class was John J. McGinty, who had been awarded the Medal of Honor in 1968.
Baker's total of thirty-nine-and-a-half years of service include commanding a Reconnaissance company in Vietnam and the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion from 1983 to 1985. He was promoted to Colonel in 1989, following which he served in Operation: Desert Storm as commander of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. In 1994, Baker served as chief of staff of the 1st Marine Division in Somalia. During his career in the Marines, Baker was decorated many times. Among his awards are the Legion of Merit, which he received three times, the Bronze Star with Valor Device, and the Purple Heart.
Wheeler Baker graduated from the University of Tampa with a bachelor's degree in Economics in 1972, going on to obtain a Master of Arts in International Affairs from the Catholic University of America. He studied at the Naval War College and Salve Regina College and earned a PhD in Organizational Learning and Instructional Techniques at the University of New Mexico in 1998.
Prior to coming to Hargrave, Baker was chairman of the Naval Science Department at the University of New Mexico. He arrived at HMA in 1997, serving as provost until the resignation of Colonel John W. Ripley, then President of Hargrave, on March 18, 1999. On June 24, 2011, Colonel Baker retired as President of Hargrave, transferring leadership of the school to Brigadier General Doyle Broome, Jr., a retired US Army officer and the first flag officer to be President of HMA. Six years later, on June 2, 2017, Broome's retirement was announced effective May 31, 2017. To ensure Hargrave would not be without vital senior leadership while the search for a new President went on, Baker agreed to return from retirement to serve as Hargrave's interim President.