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AIA commander receives two stars

Photo by Gloria Trevino

In an event that was memorable in more ways than one, John R. Baker, was promoted to major general in probably one of the longest promotion ceremonies ever.

What started out as a normal promotion ceremony with cake, punch and a band, turned into an hour and half-long evacuation complete with security forces, fire trucks and the Explosive Ordinance Disposal team.

Gen. Richard B. Meyers, commander in chief of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and commander of the U.S. Space Command had just finished remarks about Baker, Air Intelligence Agency and Joint Command and Control Warfare Center commander, when the entire headquarters was evacuated due to a bomb scare.

After the ceremony, Baker’s comments went hand in hand with the added excitement of the day. "We live in interesting times," said Baker. "What we have to do is we have to be bold enough to face those challenging times and do what’s right for our country, and I think this organization is committed to that."

Once the toasts were complete and the talk of the bomb scare was over, Baker with wife, Judi, both agreed that, "Once again, flexibility is the key to air power."