Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class John Bellino | 210304-N-PC065-1002 ATLANTIC OCEAN (March 4, 2021) Command Master Chief Larae Baker,...... read more read more
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Command Master Chief Larae Baker, assigned to the USS Arlington (LPD 24), starts her days at 5 a.m. with a workout to prepare herself physically and mentally for the day ahead.
She does this because once the workday begins, she’s needed everywhere. As much as possible, Baker likes to keep her morning schedule fluid before launching into a more structured afternoon full of meetings, emails and Sailor check-ins. Doing so allows her to walk around the ship, checking on her Sailors to ensure everyone is doing alright. It also keeps her available to handle any unforeseen issues that may arise. Her leadership teams discuss everything from schedules, to maintenance priorities, to the morale of their Sailors.
A typical workday ends around 5 p.m., once she feels satisfied with the work she completed.
Good leaders don’t just give orders and expect people to follow blindly. It takes a caring, attentive person who leads by example in order to inspire those who follow them so they can get the job done.
Growing up mostly in Jacksonville, Florida, it wasn’t until her senior year of high school that Baker realized she would follow in her father’s footsteps by joining the U.S. Navy. After years of hard work and dedication, she was selected as a command master chief in 2016 and is currently the only female command master chief within Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 2.
“I hadn’t really realized it,” Baker replied after being made aware of this fact. “I know there are very few females and females of color in my position, but I don’t really focus on that.”
She understands she may be a role model to junior Sailors, but when she looks in the mirror, she just sees Larae; a humble individual who is fortunate to have reached the level she has after all her years of service.
Baker started her career off as a storekeeper stationed in Guam, but her rating eventually merged with its aviation equivalent and she became a logistics specialist.
Having never worked on the aviation side of the Navy, Baker was determined to expand her horizons and took a position at Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron (HS) 3 as a Logistics Specialist 1st Class. The learning curve was steep and the challenges she encountered made her question her decision, but the wealth of knowledge and skills she built there played a crucial role in molding her into the leader she is today.
“Being a good leader doesn’t necessarily mean having to know every single detail of the job yourself,” Baker said. “You have to be able to lead and trust your Sailors.”
Electrician’s Mate 1st Class Muhammed Khan, who became the 2020 Arlington Senior Sailor of the Year under Baker’s leadership, shared his opinion of her.
“CMC sets a great example as a strong, respectable leader the Sailors can look up to,” Khan said. “How she treats her Sailors makes them want to support her as a leader.”
Khan said that whenever Baker is in her office the door is always open and if she’s walking around the ship engaging Sailors, she is always in a happy mood as she does so.
She has now completed 26 years of dedicated service to the Navy and the thought of what comes next is becoming a bigger part of the discussions with her husband, Richard Baker, and 11-year-old son Rhys. Baker involves her family in every decision regarding her career and together they take it one duty station at a time.
Baker expressed interest in becoming a Fleet and Family Support Center representative once her enlisted days come to an end. Her focus has always been on her Sailors and she wants to continue serving them as a civilian.
“A lot of fleet and family representatives are retired command master chiefs,” Baker explained.
If not that, she wants to combine her leadership skills with some of her hobbies and teach a group fitness class or a painting class.
As her career winds down it is important for her to guide the leaders of tomorrow.
“Go for it!” Baker proclaims to those looking to lead the next generation of Sailors. “You can literally do anything in the Navy. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t, not even yourself.”
| Date Taken: | 03.05.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 03.05.2021 10:06 |
| Story ID: | 390654 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 463 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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