Soldiers from 925th Contracting Battalion at Fort Drum case colors for deployment to Iraq

By Mike Strasser, Fort Drum Garrison Public AffairsFebruary 2, 2018

925th Contracting Battalion Soldiers set to deploy
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Lt. Col. Jessie K. Griffith, 925th Contracting Battalion commander, and Sgt. Maj. Timothy P. Higgs, battalion sergeant major, furl the unit colors during a casing ceremony Feb. 2 in preparation for a deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Inheren... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
925th Contracting Battalion Soldiers set to deploy
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
925th Contracting Battalion Soldiers set to deploy
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FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Feb. 2, 2018) -- Soldiers from the 925th Contracting Battalion at Fort Drum conducted a casing ceremony Feb. 2 in preparation for a deployment to Iraq and Kuwait in

support of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR).

This is the unit's second deployment since it was activated in October 2013.

Soldiers from 925th CBN deployed in 2015 alongside the 10th Mountain

Division (LI) in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel in Afghanistan.

Lt. Col. Jessie K. Griffith, battalion commander, said that the past several

months have been focused on preparing the unit as Soldiers and contracting

professionals.

"Throughout this entire process, we have worked hand-in-hand with the 10th

Mountain Division staff and Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, and we

are excited to continue this relationship in the coming months," Griffith

said.

The 925th CBN will serve as the Regional Contracting Center and provide

contracting support to enhance and sustain building partner capacity

operations that enable efforts to counter ISIS and increase regional

stability. Griffith said that they will provide and oversee vital supply,

service and construction contracting support to CJTF-OIR and the 10th

Mountain Division.

"The impact of our operations will be far-reaching, as we will have the

responsibility for contracting support across Iraq," he said. "Our contracts

will improve the quality of life for every deployed Soldier, sailor, airman

and Marine, and provide crucial logistics support across the country and

increase the security of our homes away from home."

Griffith said that the 925th CBN Soldiers will focus their contracting

efforts on the employment of Iraq businesses and citizens while ensuring

transparent integration and communication with their mission partners.

"Our contracts will enable the military men and women of CJTF-OIR and 10th

Mountain Division to fully concentrate on their mission of building and

enhancing the capacity and capability of our partners in Iraq," he said.

Senior leaders, colleagues, family and friends attended the ceremony to wish

the Soldiers well before they depart Fort Drum.

This is Sgt. 1st Class Michael Welch's second deployment with the 925th CBN.

He will serve as the operations noncommissioned officer.

"I'm just ready to go," Welch said. "We've spent some time preparing for

this, reaching out to the unit we're going to replace and coordinating with

them. We take their lessons learned so when we get there we are ahead of the

game."

Nearly 500 Soldiers with 10th Mountain Division (LI) Headquarters and

Headquarters Battalion also are preparing to deploy to Iraq.

Related Links:

Army.mil: News

10th Mountain Division (LI) and Fort Drum

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