Command of Fort Drum changes hands in Friday ceremony

FORT DRUM — The soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division have a new leader.

Maj. Gen. James L. Terry relinquished command of Fort Drum and the division to Maj. Gen. Mark A. Milley during a change-of-command ceremony Friday at Magrath Sports Complex as many local, state and national dignitaries, including Army Secretary John M. McHugh, watched.

The new commander is no stranger to the north country. He has had multiple command and staff positions in six infantry divisions and special forces, including two previous tours with the 10th Mountain Division.

“I absolutely jumped at the opportunity to take command of 10th Mountain. It doesn’t get any better,” Gen. Milley said after he was handed the division colors. “I’m from the Northeast originally. I loved Fort Drum when I first showed up here back in the early ’90s. This is a great community to serve and soldier in, and this is a really great division. Like I said, I’ve been in a lot of divisions and this is a tough, hard, well-disciplined, well-trained combat division. It’s just a tremendous honor and it’s incredibly humbling to be back here.”

Gen. Milley was the executive officer and later commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team. He deployed twice to Afghanistan and to Iraq, Haiti, Egypt, Panama and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Gen. David M. Rodriguez, commanding general for the U.S. Army Forces Command, said the traditional ceremony is an honor for everyone involved.

“Today is a special day for each of these two great Army families, these two great warriors and this community, and most importantly for the soldiers, the non-commissioned officers and the officers of this great division. There is no greater honor or privilege in the Army than to lead the American soldier.”

Gen. Milley said he will take some time to absorb what is going on at Fort Drum before establishing his own set of goals. He said he will await some national decisions, but there are several things for which he will strive.

“Immediate priorities and kind of a constant priority is always trained-and-ready forces to deploy globally,” he said. “That’s kind of a number one, and tied for number one is taking care of soldiers and their families. That’s really the job of any commander, at really any level, is to keep his force trained and ready and prepared to go to combat. That’s the function of an army. And then take care of those soldiers who take care of their families. Those will always be my priorities, regardless of what guidance I get.”

Gen. Milley is confident that the transition from Gen. Terry’s command to his own will be smooth. He said that he does not anticipate any unusual challenges and that he wants to let the Fort Drum and north country community know he has its best interests at the forefront.

“The key message for the families and for the soldiers: There is not a lot of gap between Gen. Terry and I, and I will be very consistent with previous command policies,” he said. “Having said that, I’ve been here through, I think, it was four or five commanding generals. There is a long list of very, very high-quality commanding generals that have worked up here and I’ll be consistent with all of that.”

Gen. Terry and Mr. McHugh said they have faith that Gen. Milley was the right choice to lead the post.

“You’re not promoted to lead a division, any division — but I would argue one that is particularly busy as the 10th Mountain Division is — if the Army didn’t have the utmost faith in your skill and your abilities,” Mr. McHugh said.

“Mark Milley has always, consistently shown himself to be a leader of great soldiers, has done a terrific job and has earned the opportunity to lead a division that I know in his heart is particularly special to him,” Mr. McHugh said.

Another thing that Gen. Milley said he knows in his heart: “That would be a difficult thing for me to do, become a Yankee fan. I know I’m in New York, but Northern New York is geographically closer to Boston than it is to New York City, for those of you that want to break out the maps. I am a Red Sox fan, a Patriots fan, Bruins and Celtics fan. We didn’t have a great year, but there’s always next year, as we say.”

Gen. Milley comes to Fort Drum with his wife, Hollyanne. They have two children, Mary and Peter.