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Lt. Col. Keith Muschalek, center, and 1st Sgt. Christopher Cosby case the colors of the 106th Finance Battalion during a ceremony Friday at Victory Park on Leighton Barracks in Würzburg, Germany.

Lt. Col. Keith Muschalek, center, and 1st Sgt. Christopher Cosby case the colors of the 106th Finance Battalion during a ceremony Friday at Victory Park on Leighton Barracks in Würzburg, Germany. (Geoff Ziezulewicz / Stars and Stripes)

WüRZBURG, Germany — The Army’s summer of transformation continued Friday as the 106th Finance Battalion inactivated and parts merged into the 39th Finance Battalion, reorganizing the men and women who keep the cash flow moving smoothly across Germany.

During an hourlong ceremony at Victory Park on Leighton Barracks, the 106th’s colors were cased, with certain 106th detachments joining the 39th to continue the mission of keeping the green in soldiers’ pockets.

“It’s all part of the Army’s transformation process,” Capt. Jean Paul, a spokesman for the 106th, said of the inactivation and reflagging.

The work of units such as the 106th and 39th within the 266th Finance Command is an understated, yet critical, function, said Col. Michael Bendich, commander of the 266th.

“These details don’t make front page news, but they’re front page support,” Bendich said.

The 106th, also known as the “Diamondbacks,” has had almost 62 years of continuous service overseas since the battalion’s creation in 1944, said Lt. Col. Keith Muschalek, commander of the inactivated battalion.

“That’s 48 years of continuous service in Germany,” he noted.

The battalion has been stationed around the world in various inceptions through the years. In February 2004, the Diamondbacks deployed to Iraq. While deployed, the battalion processed more than 100,000 pay transactions and disbursed more than $528 million.

It’s hard to keep a good finance battalion down, Muschalek said.

“Like the mythical phoenix of antiquity, the 106th will rise again one day,” he said.

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