"I will be back here eventually," said Joint Base Lewis-McChord Garrison Command Sgt. Major Matthew Barnes, who is on the verge of completing his third tour here. "My wife and daughter will be staying in the area and I'll need to come back and see the Seahawks play ... and ride my Harley when the weather is good."

Four years ago, when Barnes assumed the Garrison CSM position, he was unsure what it would yield, but now, looking back, he knows he would do it all over again.

"I've had a hell of a lot of fun," he admitted. "This is my house. I will miss the people, the community, my peers, the civilian workforce on base. The amount of passion with which they all do their work - I can't say enough about it."

In July, Barnes will leave the Pacific Northwest behind and head to Saudi Arabia, where he will spend two years serving as the most-senior NCO and be the CSM for the United States Military Training Mission (USMTM), where he will work in a joint environment. The USMTM coordinates security assistance efforts to train, advise and assist the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces in building defense capacity/capability through military exercises; specifically Barnes will oversee training for all of the forces from every branch.

His change of responsibility ceremony will take place on June 1, outside of the garrison headquarters on JBLM Main because Barnes "can think of no better place." At that time, Chief Master Sgt. Dedra Lewis, the Air Force senior enlisted adviser for the JBLM Garrison, will take the reigns for a few months before Command Sgt. Maj. Ronald Johnson arrives to assume the position.

"I am not sure this has ever been done," Barnes admitted. "Putting non-Army personnel at the helm of a Army-led garrison ... but the base won't miss a step. Lewis is ready."

In his time at garrison, Barnes became a very public figure, both on and off the base. From attending a ribbon cutting to giving a keynote address to working a BOSS event, he has, at times, seemed to be everywhere at once.

"I never wanted to miss a chance if it was something that could someday help a Soldier or Airman or family member," he explained. "You never know the connections you could make and how they could benefit someone in need."

Yet, despite his accomplishments and the accolades he hears, Barnes remains steadfastly modest.

"I'm not greater than the position. I am not one to look at myself. I'd rather focus on what we've all done together to grow the base," he said. "JBLM is the model for all of the other joint bases and that is from everyone's work. I am so proud of this installation."