FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- As the sun sets on the 10th Mountain Division (LI) and Fort Drum commander's current assignment, three stars rise on his next one.
Maj. Gen. James L. Terry, who will be appointed to the rank of lieutenant general when he assumes command of V Corps, spoke with local media one last time Oct. 31 before relinquishing his command and beginning his new assignment in Heidelberg, Germany.
"It's been a pretty emotional week for both Julie and (me)," Terry said. "To say goodbye to the people and the place that (have been) really significant for us has frankly been (very hard)."
During his half hour with reporters seated by a fire inside Remington Lodge, Terry reflected on the division's accomplishments during his last two years in command, while also considering those in and out of uniform responsible for its successes.
Terry thanked Soldiers and Families, including those enduring the loss of a fallen warrior. In addition, he took time to thank the broader Fort Drum community for its unwavering support during the past decade of war.
"I especially want to recognize the strong North Country community," he said. "It takes the people outside the gates also to support our Families and support our Soldiers."
During a ceremony tomorrow, Terry will hand over command of the division to Maj. Gen. Mark A. Milley, whose most recent assignment was as deputy director of operations at the Joint Staff in Washington, D.C.
Milley served with the division's 2nd Brigade from 1993 to 1996 and again as the brigade's commander from 2003 to 2005. He will have a base of knowledge of the Fort Drum and North Country community ahead of time that should help him, Terry said.
He offered the same advice to Milley that was given to him when he took over command.
"Listen to the voices that are out there," Terry said. "Then, make an assessment in about 90 days; make modifications to the Fort Drum campaign plan that make sense; and then establish your priorities so that you can resource those priorities and continue to provide those same excellent services to the Families here that are being provided."
Before assuming command in September 2009, Terry served as the division's deputy commanding general for operations from 2004 through 2007, the last year of which he spent deployed to Af-ghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Before that, he commanded 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, during the mid-1990s and deployed with the battalion to Haiti in support of Operation Restore / Uphold Democracy.
During his current assignment, Terry again deployed with division headquarters to Afghanistan, this time as commander of NATO troops in Regional Command South. It was the division headquarters' fifth combat deployment since 9/11 -- its fourth to Afghanistan.
He redeployed to Fort Drum last month.
Despite periodic spectacular attacks by insurgents to create the perception of insecurity in the minds of the population, Terry said significant progress was made during the past year and that the momentum of the insurgency is either in check or beginning to reverse. The general summed up the deployment as putting Afghan National Security Forces on the right track.
"We've provided the opportunity (for) Afghans to take the lead and take charge of their own destiny, especially in security," he said.
At Fort Drum, the general said he was particularly proud of the efforts made under his watch to support resiliency programs for Soldiers and Family Members.
He also said he hoped he would be remembered at Fort Drum for a legacy of openness with local media and the civilian community.
"I believe in transparency," he said. "I believe in talking to and informing the public, especially the North Country community that's been so supportive of us throughout the years."
Terry said he plans to take leave in his home state of Georgia before departing for Germany.
He closed by saying he will miss northern New York friendships and fishing too much to not return again in the future.
"I will be back," he said. "I refuse to say goodbye."
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