Washington native who commanded 101st Airborne to lead I Corps at JBLM

A Washington native who most recently led the legendary 101st Airborne Division is in line to assume command of I Corps at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, who grew up in Spokane and earned a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Washington University, turned over command of the 101st Airborne earlier this month.

According to a story posted on the Army’s website, Volesky soon will be promoted to lieutenant general and take command of I Corps, which was confirmed Wednesday by the JBLM public affairs office.

A time frame has not been publicly discussed, and the Army has not reported what will happen with Lt. Gen. Stephen Lanza, who has commanded I Corps since February 2014.

The 101st Airborne Division deployed twice as a headquarters under Volesky’s command, including to Liberia in 2014 as part of the U.S. military’s mission to help fight the Ebola outbreak there.

According to his official biography, Volesky is “an infantry officer who has commanded soldiers at all levels up to division.”

He served in the first Gulf War as well as during the most-recent Iraq war and in Afghanistan, and he has been awarded a Silver Star and Purple Heart, among other medals.

This story was originally published January 25, 2017 at 3:38 PM with the headline "Washington native who commanded 101st Airborne to lead I Corps at JBLM."