19th Special Forces Group

19th Special Forces Group

19th SFG beret flash
Active 1 May 1961 – present
Country  United States
Branch United States Army
Army National Guard
Role Special Operations
Part of Title 32: Utah Army National Guard
Title 10: 1st Special Forces Command
Garrison/HQ Draper, Utah
Motto(s) Anything, Any Place, Any Time
Engagements

War on Terror

Commanders
Current
commander		 COL Mark Drown[3]
U.S. Special Forces Groups
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The 19th Special Forces Group is one of two National Guard groups of the United States Army Special Forces. Headquartered in Draper, Utah, with detachments in Washington, West Virginia, Ohio, Rhode Island, Colorado, California and Texas, the 19th SFG shares responsibility over Southwest Asia with the 5th Special Forces Group, and the Pacific with the 1st Special Forces Group.[4][5][6]

History

The parent unit was constituted on 5 July 1942 in the Army of the United States as the 1st Company, 1st Battalion, Third Regiment, 1st Special Service Force, a combined Canadian-American organization. This unit was activated on 9 July 1942 at Fort William Henry Harrison, Montana, then disbanded on 6 January 1945 in France.

19th Group was constituted on 15 April 1960 in the Regular Army as Headquarters, 19th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces. One year later, on 1 May 1961, the unit was allotted to the Army National Guard; 19th Group was concurrently organized from existing units in Utah with headquarters at Fort Douglas. Continuous reorganization developed over the next three decades, and by 1 September 1996, the unit consisted of elements from the Utah, California, Colorado, Ohio, Rhode Island, Washington, and West Virginia Army National Guards.

During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, a company element from the 19th SFG was attached to TF Dagger as were several regular and National Guard infantry companies to provide FOB security and to act as a QRF. As the prospect of war grew A company, 1st Battalion, 19th SFG, were tasked with liaison roles supporting conventional forces: ODA 911 and ODA 913 were to support the I MEF; ODA 914 was divided into two elements, one supporting the 3rd Infantry Division with ODA 916 and the other supporting British Forces; ODA 915 was attached to the 101st Airborne Division; and ODA 912 was tasked with providing PSD for General Harrell, the commander of CFSOCC (Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command).[7] p. 89

On 1 October 2005, 1st Special Forces was redesignated as the 1st Special Forces Regiment. Today's unit designation - Headquarters, 19th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces Regiment - was then established.

19th Group operators attend the same special operations training as their active duty counterparts. The unit deploys elements to conduct special, irregular, and counterterrorist operations in various places around the world. Their official motto is De Oppresso Liber (Latin: "To Liberate the Oppressed"), a reference to one of their primary missions to train and assist foreign indigenous forces.

In September 2014, the Huffington post reported that members of the 19th SFG were deployed to Camp Ram Ram in Morocco to take part in Operation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara.[8]

Green Berets from the 19th SFG took part in the War in Afghanistan (2015–present); A Company, 1st BTN, 19th SFG was deployed to Afghanistan in July 2015 and several members were decorated for their actions during December 2015 and January 2016.[9] On 5 January 2016, during a major operation assisting Afghan forces reclaiming territory held by the Taliban SSG Matthew McClintock of A Company, 1st BTN, 19th SFG was killed by small arms fire during an hours long battle in the Marjah district, Helmand Province.[10][11]

19th Special Forces Group
Soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group check their course with compasses during a foot patrol while training at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center, Indiana. 
Soldiers from the 19th Group being lifted on board an Air Force HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter at the Utah Test and Training Range in November of 2007, during CSAR integration exercises. 
A 19th Group soldier provides security with a turret mounted M60 machine gun during a convoy stop in Asadabad, Afghanistan in 2004. 
Slovenian and 5th Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group soldiers practice explosive breaching techniques during a three-week Joint Combined Exchange Training exercise in Slovenia. 
A soldier of from Company B, 2nd Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group instructs a Serbian soldier on the M240B 

Activation

On 13 November 2001, the following units of the 19th SFG were called to active duty:

In April 2007, the 5th Battalion of 19th SFG and troops from the 2nd Battalion were called to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The unit came home with no deaths and very few minor injuries.

In April 2007, the following units of the 19ths SFG were called to active duty (Operation Iraqi Freedom V)

On September 2008, the following units of the 19ths SFG were called to active duty (Operation Enduring Freedom XIII)

References

  1. ↑ "Keeping Track Of U.S.S Special Ops In Africa". Huffington post. 6 September 2016.
  2. ↑ "Green Beret killed in Afghanistan was new father". Stars and Stripes. 7 January 2016.
  3. ↑ "19th Special Forces Change of Command - 12-6-13". Utah National Guard Flickr Stream. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  4. ↑ FM 3-05: Army Special Operations Forces (PDF), US Department of the Army, September 2006, archived (PDF) from the original on 28 May 2008, retrieved 7 June 2008
  5. ↑ "FM 3-05.102 Army Special Forces Intelligence" (PDF). July 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 May 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
  6. ↑ Joint Chiefs of Staff (1993), Joint Publication 3-05.5: Special Operations Targeting and Mission Planning Procedures (PDF), retrieved 13 November 2007
  7. ↑ Neville, Leigh (2015). Special Forces in the War on Terror. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1472807908.
  8. ↑ "Keeping Track Of U.S.S Special Ops In Africa". Huffington post. 6 September 2016.
  9. ↑ "Green Berets honored with Silver Star and eight other valor awards". army times. 6 May 2016.
  10. ↑ "Green Beret killed in Afghanistan was new father". Stars and Stripes. 7 January 2016.
  11. ↑ "US servicemember killed in Helmand was part of major operation against Taliban". Stars and Stripes. 6 January 2016.
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