JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas -- (Sept. 8, 2016) Leaders from the 901st Contracting Battalion cased the organization's colors during a ceremony Sept. 8 at Fort Hood, Texas, as the unit prepares to deploy to Afghanistan.
Lt. Col. Nate Bryant, battalion commander, and battalion Sgt. Maj. Darnyell Parker cased the colors before family members, Soldiers and civilian members of the organization, and leaders from the 418th Contracting Support Brigade and Mission and Installation Contracting Command as a portion of the battalion departs later this month directly to the area of responsibility.
The battalion will be replacing the MICC's 925th CBN from Fort Drum, New York. While deployed, the 901st CBN will be attached to the Expeditionary Contracting Command-Afghanistan.
"The battalion staff will leverage our years of contracting and acquisition knowledge and experience that we have acquired to provide the same outstanding contracting support to coalition forces in Afghanistan, just as we do day in and day out for the garrison and tenet units of Fort Hood," Bryant said. "This deployment will validate our team's ability to effectively provide mission command for a regional contracting center in support of a joint operational area."
The 901st CBN will provide operational contract support for U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, Special Operations Joint Task Force-Afghanistan, and other coalition forces in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel and the NATO-led Resolute Support.
The traditional casing of the colors symbolizes the military unit going forward into battle when directed by the DOD secretary to deploy. An organization's colors represent the history, honor and esprit de corps of the Soldiers of that unit. The casing of the 901st CBN colors signals its departure from Fort Hood. The colors will be uncased upon the battalion's arrival in Afghanistan.
"The Soldiers of the 901st are trained and ready to deploy and accomplish our mission in Afghanistan. Trust that our training will bring us all safely home," Bryant said. "We thank our families and friends for the sacrifices that they have made for their Soldier to be here today, on the ready line. We thank them for all of the sacrifices they will bear during this deployment. No matter the distances between us, trust that I will do everything as their commander to ensure every Soldier's needs and the needs of their families are met. The greatest armor any Soldier can carry into battle is the love of our family. Keep your love strong - strength in our hearts and strength in yours."
The 901st CBN and 418th CSB are subordinate to the MICC, which is headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The MICC is made up of about 1,500 military and civilian members assigned to three contracting support brigades and a field directorate office throughout the United States who are responsible for contracting for Soldiers. In fiscal 2015, the command executed more than 36,000 contract actions valued at more than $5.2 billion across the Army, including $2.25 billion to American small businesses. The command also managed more than 600,000 Government Purchase Card Program transactions in fiscal 2015 valued at an additional $747 million.
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