"I want to start by saying we appreciate the community's support of the soldiers and the families during deployment," said Lt. Gen. Charles H. Jacoby, Jr. during a media roundtable event held on Thursday. "It empowers you to do your duty when you are far away from home and it allows you to do your job effectively since you are not consumed with worry for your loved ones at home."

The commanding general of I Corps returned home this past weekend after a yearlong deployment to Iraq. There I Corps was part of the Multi-National Corps Iraq and served as the headquarters component, in charge of managing the ground fight and synchronizing missions for the soldiers, airmen, marines and navy.

The culmination of I Corps' tour was the national Iraq elections, which were held on March 7, after being postponed since January. Following what Jacoby described as a ‘'dynamic campaign season while Iraqis debated how they would choose to live and how they could prosper," 62 percent of voters turned out for the historical event.

There were also a low number of security incidents, which came as a relief to both the U.S. forces and the Iraqi security forces, which have been working to take over as the U.S. prepares to reduce its presence.

"The drawdown of U.S. capabilities will continue on track. We held a strong posture during the elections and now there'll be a sharper decline in force," explained Jacoby. "But the Iraqi security force is prepared to take over. Election day was a great example of that because it was an Iraqi show and they provided much of the security for the polling sites and allowed for voters to turnout safely."

Undoubtedly, things in Iraq have progressed since 2003, with credit to the U.S. people, the coalition and the Iraqi people themselves.

"There is no precedent for the democratic process in Iraq, so they are starting from square one and emerging from a regime where the biggest influence was fear," he said. "I believe we will have a vibrant relationship with Iraq in the future."

Despite his accomplishments on the battlefield, priority one for Jacoby was ‘hugging his sons' when he arrived home. Last week, Lt. Gen. Jacoby was nominated to serve as director of the strategic plans and policy section on the Joint Staff in Washington, D.C. The Pentagon position, which is pending Senate approval, is one he is eager to take.

"The fight against extremism, competition for resources and influence in global markets will continue," he said. "So we will have to continue playing the role that the world expects - one of strength that stands up to oppression."

However, troops on Joint-Base Lewis McChord will be sad to see Jacoby's three-year tenure come to an end. The commanding general believes the Pacific Northwest is of undeniable strategic importance to the country and that as a result, JBLM will play a pivotal role for the foreseeable future. As for I Corps, it will remain one of three active duty corps in the Army. After a quick rest, and some trading out of staff during the summer, they will resume training and be available for global deployment as needed.