FORT STEWART, Georgia, (June 29, 2021) -- Members from the 904th Contracting Battalion gathered June 24 at Fort Stewart, Georgia, to observe the casing of the battalion’s colors in preparation for their upcoming deployment to Kuwait in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
Lt. Col. Torrionne Reché, the 904th CBN commander, and Sgt. Maj. Lasean Fox, the battalion sergeant major, cased the colors during the ceremony officiated by Anne Talbot, the 419th Contracting Support Brigade deputy to the commander, from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
“We know the 904th Contracting Battalion has been preparing for this mission alongside your civilian counterparts,” Talbot said. “We are confident in the leadership and the team’s capabilities to execute this mission successfully. The battalion has trained aggressively in preparation and has the technical capabilities, physical stamina, emotional strengths, and attitude to endure through this demanding mission with the upmost integrity.”
During the ceremony, Talbot also reminded everyone in attendance the casing of the colors does not close the door on the support for those left behind and the mission at home.
“While this team is away physically, you are not without reach back support. We are in this together. Your sacrifices do not go unnoticed as your loved ones deploy, the team here is available to provide you support and encouragement during the next nine months,” Talbot said. “To MICC-Fort Stewart, your job is to ensure the mission at home is accomplished seamlessly.”
The battalion will serve as the Regional Contracting Center-OIR while sustaining theater contracting and providing contingency contract administration services through its partnership with strategic, operational and tactical echelons in the area of responsibility.
“I am fully confident that the battalion is thoroughly trained and ready to successfully meet the needs and demands of the upcoming mission,” Reché said. “The casing ceremony marks the third time the 904th Contracting Battalion has cased its colors for a deployment since its activation in October 2008 at Fort Irwin, California.”
During the last 24 months, the battalion has sustained a high operations tempo supporting the COVID-19 response in Louisiana, Task Force-Southeast COVID-19 vaccination mission, deployment of its 611th Contracting Team along with external evaluations while maintaining the local contracting missions at Fort Stewart.
The casing of the colors is an Army tradition that represents movement of the battalion to a new location. The colors will travel with the members of the battalion headquarters during the unit’s nine-month deployment. The unit will be replacing the 923rd CBN from Fort Riley, Kansas, in the coming weeks.
About the MICC
Headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the Mission and Installation Contracting Command consists of about 1,500 military and civilian members who are responsible for contracting goods and services in support of Soldiers as well as readying trained contracting units for the operating force and contingency environment when called upon. As part of its mission, MICC contracts are vital in feeding more than 200,000 Soldiers every day, providing many daily base operations support services at installations, facilitate training in the preparation of more than 100,000 conventional force members annually, training more than 500,000 students each year, and maintaining more than 14.4 million acres of land and 170,000 structures.
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