Major Baird becomes security forces commander Published June 19, 2006 By Tech. Sgt. Melba Koch 507th Air Refueling Wing Tinker Air Force Base -- Maj. Robert C. Baird became the 507th Security Forces Squadron commander during ceremonies recently. He has 10 years experience in the security forces career field and came to us from the Oklahoma Air National Guard unit in Tulsa where he was commander of the 138th SFS. Major Baird entered the military in 1993. He started his career in the Army Reserve as an infantryman. “I got in the service after I graduated from college,” said Baird. He was determined to eventually earn an officer’s commission, however he always heard the best officers were prior enlisted. “So I started at the bottom,” stated Baird. “Fort Benning helped me learn and I am thankful for my time there. The Army asked me first if I wanted to fly rotary wing. I turned them down for the infantry. The guidance counselor gave me a funny look and said, ‘OK.’ Mine is a good job; I get to work with people,” he continued. “When I joined the military, something in the combat arms arena was always my first choice,” said Baird. “When I moved back to Oklahoma from Colorado, one of my best friends from college had joined the Air Force from the Army and went on about the differences. I transitioned over in 1995 and found a home in the security forces career field. It just kind of fit; no better words.” He says the long-term professional growth in the Reserve system is also very attractive. The opportunities in the 507th, Numbered Air Force, and higher are hard to match in the other Reserve components. Major Baird says what excites him most about his job is that a commander’s business is people business. “The people side of the house fascinates me. Creating a positive and responsive atmosphere where troops are motivated to learn and work is rewarding beyond belief.” The goals that Major Baird has established for himself and his team include helping the squadron continue on its path to excellence. “I am a simple person. For the most part I expect for the troops to do what is right and uphold the core values of the Air Force and our career field. As for the security forces, I do not have a lot of preconceived ideas … just need to get into the organization and learn the ground a bit better,” continued Major Baird. Major Baird’s responsibilities as a squadron commander are to train, equip, mentor, and deploy Airmen to fight, survive and win on any battlefield in the world. “I am amazed at the breadth of our mission in the security forces squadron. These troops can go from the static mission of missile field security, to Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and all the way back to humanitarian relief as we saw when we responded to Katrina. I know of few other career fields in the military that have so much flexibility and adaptability as the security forces troop.” “The DoD overall is reminding itself how valuable and flexible the capabilities of our career field are. Whether the troop is a SF, MP, Master of Arms, the skill sets and critical thinking capabilities of our forces in the Global War on Terrorism are hard to match. We are cheap to maintain, also we like MREs; just need some decent coffee, bullets and a dry place to sleep (whenever that is),” continued Major Baird. As far as personal goals, Major Baird says he’s still thinking about trying to attend ACSC in-residence. “The experience of an in-residence school cannot be matched, and I feel this is important also for the members of my squadron, especially Airman Leadership School, 7-level and Senior NCO Academies,” continued Maj. Baird. The professional peer interaction gained in these experiences does nothing but help us and the units we are associated with. Major Baird says family support is a huge deal. “When I took the oath of officer in February, my wife and three kids were there with me. I did not join, we did. The families of our troops have just as much at stake in our organization. We ask a lot, and continue to ask for sacrifices from our families. An aggressive squadron level family support program is an important task. We get the easy part of deploying; they have the hard work to keep the home front going,” he continued. “I could do none of this without the support of my wife. Our second child was born while I was deployed to Jordan in 2001. She lets me go out at night and be a police officer in our community, and stay in the Air Force. She has kept the family going through two+ years of mobilization, two OIF deployments, and a move to DC.” Major Baird’s civilian job is as a police officer with the Broken Arrow Police Department, where he has been since 1999.