JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas -- (May 15, 2017) Leaders from the 916th Contracting Battalion cased their organizational colors marking the organization's inactivation during a ceremony May 15 at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Casing the colors were Lt. Col. Robert Jarzyna and Sgt. Maj. Greg Dorsey.
"The battalion has certainly been a force multiplier for the Army over the last seven years. The battalion has deployed trained and ready contracting teams to Africa, South and Central America, the Middle East … and Iraq," said Jarzyna, who leaves for an assignment as a product manager with the Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. "All of this would not have been possible without the great civilian contracting workforce of the battalion. I'd like to commend the Soldiers and families of the 916th, their hard work and commitment to the unit and each other has been unmatched."
Officiating the ceremony was Manuel Saenz, the deputy to the commander for the 410th Contracting Support Brigade. Although significant, he stressed that the ceremony also allows the opportunity to sincerely thank the men and women of the 916th CBN who dedicated themselves and their service to providing steadfast contracting support.
"Since 2010, the 916th Contracting Battalion has supported countless missions and exercise. It is evident that the contracting support you provided supported the joint warfighter … throughout the world," Saenz said. "We can never forget the legacy and tradition that was established by this battalion. The 916th Contracting Battalion has truly lived up to its motto. It has always been on point. It has always been victorious."
The 916th Contracting Battalion was activated Sept. 16, 2010, as part of the 410th CSB at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston to meet growing contingency and mission contracting needs. The battalion consists of five contingency contracting teams at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston. The 410th CSB supports Army South as well as Army and joint operations throughout the Southern Command area of responsibility.
Dorsey, the battalion senior enlisted adviser, said it was an honor to serve in the 916th CBN.
"I was fortunate to have the civilians and Soldiers stand beside me and allow me to do my job. It came easy because of the hard work and dedication they put into their job," Dorsey said. "This job can easily become stressful with the frequent moves and constant change in mission support, but not one person ever complained. This is an emotional event for me because we built an amazing unit, and the camaraderie was extraordinary."
Dorsey leaves the organization in the coming months to deploy in support of Army Central Command in Qatar.
The battalion's inactivation was at the direction of the Army Materiel Command in compliance with force structure changes approved by the secretary of the Army. Changes in force structure have also included the inactivation of subordinate contracting units throughout the Army Contracting Command. The battalion's remaining contracting teams on JBSA-Fort Sam Houston will report directly to the 410th CSB, while Soldiers not assigned to a team will relocate to new assignments in the coming months.
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