He first came to Fort Drum in 1994 and he's been here twice since. But now Drum's Commanding General is leaving for what will likely be the last time. Major General James Terry is set to hand over command later this week and as our Brian Dwyer reports, he leaves with a heavy heart.

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FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- "This is a pretty emotional week for both Julie and I."

He's spent seven years on Fort Drum. Two years in the 90s as a battalion commander. Three years, 2004-2007, as deputy commander of operations and now, two years as the Commanding General of Fort Drum and the 10th Mountain Division.

But this week, Major General James Terry is moving on to oversee troops in Germany. He's said plenty of goodbyes in his 30 plus years, but he says this one will be the hardest.

"I think I would be perfectly happy to be Mountain for life and just kind of die in the position and let someone else come in here, but the Army has other things for me to do, so Julie and I will move out and move on," said Terry.

Terry says during his time at Fort Drum, both coming and going, he's seen significant changes for the better, including the growth of both the post and of the requirements of the smaller soldier units. But he says seeing and helping people prepare for the last decade will stand out.

"It's about making sure soldiers and organizations and families are ready out there for the eventuality of deployments. I think that's what I'm most proud of," Terry said.

The General is also proud of the work his division has done overseas. He says significant progress is being made every day in Afghanistan. But as the fight continues, the Army is preparing for hundreds of millions of dollars in budget cuts.

Terry says he's confident the right people will be making the right decisions to still do the job correctly.

"I think we as senior leaders in the Army are very good at identifying the risks that are out there and figuring out the strategies to mitigate those risks," Terry said.

And Terry says Major General Mark Milley, the man who'll replace him Friday, is the right man to make decisions for Fort Drum.

General Terry's favorite thing to do in the North Country? He says fish. And he plans to hit up the Salmon River later this week.