U.S. Army overview of the 19th SFG(A), at the time of the unit's stand-up
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).[10]
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.
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.[11] 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.[3][12]
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.[13]
Structure
The structure of 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) includes the following units:[14][15]
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