# 19th Special Forces Group

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The 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) (19th SFG) (A) is one of two National Guard groups of the United States Army Special Forces. 19th Group—as it is sometimes called—is designed to deploy and execute nine doctrinal missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, direct action, counter-insurgency, special reconnaissance, counter-terrorism, information operations, counterproliferation of weapon of mass destruction, and security force assistance. Headquartered in Bluffdale, Utah, with detachments in Washington, West Virginia, Ohio, Rhode Island, Colorado, California and Texas, the 19th SFG(A) shares responsibility over Southwest Asia with the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), and the Pacific with the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne). Company A, 2nd Battalion is one of several National Guard units with colonial roots.

## 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).
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 Forces selection and 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: "From oppressed [to] free"), 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 Morocco to take part in Operation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara.
Green Berets from the 19th SFG took part in the War in Afghanistan (2015–2021); 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. 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.
Controversially, from June 1 to June 7, 2020, during the George Floyd protests, members of the 19th SFG were deployed to Washington, DC and stationed outside the White House. Photos began to circulate of soldiers wearing the arrowhead patch and the Special Forces Tab. Questions rose as to why Special Forces soldiers were needed. On June 4, National Guard commanders made the decision to pull the Special Forces patches off the uniform in an attempt to avoid sending the wrong message.

## Structure

The structure of 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) includes the following units:
* Headquarters and Headquarters Company (UT ARNG) - Camp W.G. Williams, Riverton, Utah
* 1st Battalion
** Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment (UT ARNG) - Camp W.G. Williams, Riverton, Utah
** Company A (WA ARNG) - Buckley Armory, Buckley, Washington
** Company B (UT ARNG) - Camp W.G. Williams, Riverton, Utah
** Company C (CA ARNG) - Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos, California
** Support Company (UT ARNG) - Camp W.G. Williams, Riverton, Utah
* 2nd Battalion
** Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment (WV ARNG) - SGM Earl R. Biggs Memorial Armed Forces Reserve Center, Kenova, West Virginia
** Company A (RI ARNG) - Middletown Armory, Middletown, Rhode Island
** Company B (OH ARNG) - Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Columbus, Ohio
** Company C (WV ARNG) - Camp Dawson, Kingwood, West Virginia
** Support Company (WV ARNG) - SGM Earl R. Biggs Memorial Armed Forces Reserve Center, Kenova, West Virginia
* 5th Battalion
** Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment (CO ARNG) - Watkins Armory, Watkins, Colorado
** Company A (TX ARNG) - Camp Bullis, San Antonio, Texas
** Company B (CO ARNG) - Buckley Space Force Base, Aurora, Colorado
** Company C (TX ARNG) - Camp Bullis, San Antonio, Texas
** Support Company (CO ARNG) - Watkins Armory, Watkins, Colorado
* Group Support Battalion
** Headquarters and Headquarters Company (UT ARNG) - John M. Browning Armory, Ogden, Utah
** Company A (UT ARNG) - John M. Browning Armory, Ogden, Utah
** Company B (UT ARNG) - John M. Browning Armory, Ogden, Utah
** Company C (UT ARNG) - Camp W.G. Williams, Riverton, Utah
** Company F (UT ARNG) - Camp W.G. Williams, Riverton, Utah
* Group Support Company (UT ARNG)
** Detachment 1 (WA ARNG)
* 197th Special Troops Support Company (TX ARNG) (aligned) - Camp Bullis, San Antonio, Texas
* 190th Chemical Detachment (MT ARNG) (aligned) - Fort William H. Harrison, Helena, Montana

## Gallery

* Soldiers from the 19th Group "Fast Roping" from an Air Force HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter at the Utah Test and Training Range in November 2007, during CSAR integration exercises.
* A 19th Group soldier on a Ground Mobility Vehicle variant Humvee provides security with a turret mounted M60 machine gun during a convoy stop in Asadabad, Afghanistan in 2004. An AT4 can be seen in the foreground.
* 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
* 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
* Utah National Guardsmen from the 19th SFG on riot control duty in front of the White House on June 3, 2020

## Mobilization

On 13 November 2001, the following units of the 19th SFG were called to active duty:
* A Company, 1st Bn/19th SFG—Fort Lewis, Washington
* B Company, C Company, and Support Company 1st Bn/19th SFG—Utah
* A Company, 2nd Bn/19th SFG—Rhode Island
* B Company, 2nd Bn/19th SFG—Ohio
* C Company and Support Company, 2nd Bn/19th SFG—Kenova, West Virginia
* A Company, B Company, C Company and Support Company from the 5th Bn/19th SFG—California & Colorado
Company A, 1st Bn/19th SFG participated in the 2003 invasion of Iraq
In April 2007, the 5th Battalion of 19th SFG and troops from the 2nd Battalion were called to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
* A Company (California National Guard)
* B Company (Colorado National Guard)
* 5th Bn/19th SFG Headquarters and Support Company, 5/19th
The unit came home with no deaths and very few minor injuries.
In April 2007, the following units of the 19th SFG were called to active duty (Operation Iraqi Freedom V)
* HHC, 19th SFG(A)—Utah
In September 2008, the following units of the 19th SFG were called to active duty (Operation Enduring Freedom XIII)
* A Company, 2nd Bn/19th SFG—Rhode Island
* B Company, 2nd Bn/19th SFG—Ohio
* C Company, 2nd Bn/19th SFG—Camp Dawson, West Virginia
* Support Company and HHC, 2nd Bn/19th SFG—Kenova, West Virginia