The 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, cased its colors for the last time in an inactivation ceremony on Thursday, April 2. The ceremony took place on Cavalry Parade Field, and was initially announced in July 2013 as part of the Army’s ongoing restructuring process.
Since its activation on Jan. 12, 2006 at Fort Riley, the 4th IBCT has deployed twice to Iraq and once to Afghanistan. The five battalions and one squadron that make up the brigade will case their individual colors in separate ceremonies throughout the coming weeks.
Thursday’s ceremony included the Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard, which performed a traditional cavalry charge, as well as the 1st Infantry Division Band. The division’s senior mission commander, Brig. Gen. Eric J. Wesley, along with the 4th IBCT’s commander, Col. Peter G. Minalga, also gave remarks at the event.
The most recent mission for the “Dragon” brigade, from Feb. 2013 to Feb. 2014, included the deployment of 1,200 soldiers in support of Regionally Aligned Force missions across the continent of Africa. The brigade successfully completed 113 Theater Security Cooperation missions and two multinational exercises, and provided the East Africa Response Force at Camp Lemmonier, Djibouti. These missions involved more than 14,000 partner nation service members and were instrumental in building long-lasting relationships that promote U.S. interests and develop local military forces’ capabilities for self-defense and regional stability.
