FREDERICKSBURG, Va. –
After more than 40 years in existence, the Fredericksburg-based 229th Brigade Engineer Battalion cased its colors Aug. 8, 2026, during a deactivation ceremony at the Mason-Ruhren Readiness Center in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Col. Arthur Moore, commander of the Staunton-based 116th Mobile Brigade Command Team, presided over the ceremony, which brought together current and former 229th Soldiers and leaders. The deactivation is part of the 116th’s transformation from an infantry brigade combat team to an MBCT, part of the Army’s Transformation in Contact 2.0 modernization strategy.
“From its origins, through the transformations in the 2000s and the 2010s, this command has answered every call,” said Moore. “It’s going to be a tough road ahead as we re-centralize more capabilities at the Division Headquarters and make the Mobile Brigades leaner, but we will get through this transition as we have in past transitions like it.”
“To the soldiers of the BEB: Thank you for your resilience and flexibility through this unprecedented time,” said Lt. Col. Joshua Favaro, the current and final commander of the 229th. “They rolled with the punches, and still managed to accomplish their mission.”
Soldiers assigned to the 229th BEB are being reassigned into other engineer units in the Virginia Army National Guard, including the 116th MBCT’s 237th Combat Engineer Company - Infantry, as well as the 237th Sapper Company in West Point, Virginia.
“The organizational shift we are undergoing is necessary to keep our formations modern, lethal, and ready for 21st-century warfare,” said Moore. “While the casing of colors is always a solemn moment, military history is defined by evolution. The incredible talent, intellect, and capabilities bred in this Headquarters will not disappear.
They will disperse across the 116th and the wider Virginia Army National Guard, making every unit they touch stronger, smarter and more capable.
“The colors may be cased today, but the spirit, the history and the standard of excellence of the 229th BEB Headquarters remain alive.”
Several former 229th unit leaders were in attendance for the ceremony, including the unit’s first commander and former Adjutant General of Virginia, retired Maj. Gen. Chip Long, as well as Col. Beau Mason and Lt. Col. William Pearson, both of whom are still serving in the Guard.
Following remarks from former commanders, Favaro and Command Sgt. Maj. Donald W. Spring Jr., the 229th command team, cased the colors formally signifying the unit’s deactivation.
The ceremony was held at the Mason-Ruhren readiness center, named after two fallen 229th Soldiers, Sgts. Nicholas C. Mason and David A. Ruhren, both assigned to the 229th but were deployed with the 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group. Both men were killed in the attack of a mess tent Dec. 21, 2004, on Forward Operating Base Marez, in Mosul, Iraq. A total of 22 people were killed in the attack, including 14 U.S. troops. Dozens of others suffered serious injuries, including others deployed with the 276th.
Inside the readiness center, walls are lined with framed photos, newspaper clippings and other mementos of past 229th missions, training, deployments and milestones. The historical displays are the brainchild of retired Lt. Col. David James, who commanded the unit from 2009 - 2011, when the battalion was called the 116th Brigade Special Troops Battalion. James has served as an unofficial unit historian since her was the battalion’s operations officer.
“As the S3, under Col. Depp, there was not a single piece of our unit history, or the walls, anywhere,” said James during the ceremony. “So over the last 24 years, I've been trying to figure out, what the thread is for all the history for our unit. It’s there, you just have to dig for it.”
The 229th originated as the 229th Engineer Battalion in 1985, under the command of Long. The unit’s rich history includes service in Operation Noble Eagle in the aftermath of the 9-11 terrorist attacks, and a deployment to Iraq in 2004.
The unit was reconstituted as the 116th Brigade Special Troops Battalion in 2005, retaining the command team, staff and a company of engineers. Those engineers again deployed to Iraq in 2007 and 2010.
In 2016, the 116th BSTB became the 229th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 116th IBCT. The 229th BEB supported various national and state emergency response operations, including during Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy and Marie, as well as Operation Capitol Response in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks in Washington. The 229th also provided support to mobilizations to CENTCOM and U.S. African Command.
Read more about the 229th BEB at https://vngpao.info/3jdx3ayh.