The 1st Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment ("1-319 AFAR") is the airborne field artillery battalion assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. Nicknamed "Loyalty", 1–319 AFAR has deployed to conduct combat operations in the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Kuwait, Afghanistan and three separate deployments to Iraq. Most recently, the battalion deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Freedom Sentinel. History Origins Battery A, 319th Artillery (A/319) served in World War I with the 319th Field Artillery Regiment, and in World War II with the 319th Glider Field Artillery Battalion. Under the Pentomic organization, A/319 served as a direct support battery in the 82nd Airborne Division Artillery. Under the Combat Arms Regimental System and the Reorganization Objective Army Division, A/319 was reorganized and redesignated as 1-319 AFAR, a direct support battalion in the 82nd Airborne Division Artillery, on 25 May 1964. Cold War In April 1965, 1-319 AFAR deployed with the 82nd Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade to the Dominican Republic during Operation Powerpack, and earned campaign credit for the Dominican Republic Armed Forces Expedition. In September 1974, 1-319 AFAR participated with 3rd Brigade in Exercise Gobi Express V at Fort Bliss, Texas. C/1-319 AFAR, commanded by CPT Gregory L. Shawn, employed innovative camouflage techniques to remain undetected by the opposing forces throughout the exercise, even after the battery's grid location was provided to opposing forces reconnaissance aircraft. In 1983, 1-319 AFAR took part in Operation Urgent Fury, the Invasion of Grenada as part of the 82d Airborne Division. The 1-319 AFAR deployed two tailored batteries of three guns each (Batteries A and B) and a battalion command post. The 1-319 AFAR earned Armed Forces Expedition credit for "Grenada". In 1994, 1-319 AFAR was awarded the Army Superior Unit Award for peacetime service as part of Task Force Outload, from 10 September 2004 to 2 October 1994, during Operation Uphold Democracy. In 1999, C/1-319 AFAR earned the Army Superior Unit Award for its service in Kosovo with TF 2-505 PIR. Operation Enduring Freedom II The first element of the 319th Field Artillery to deploy to combat in the Global War on Terror (GWOT), 1-319 AFAR, deployed as part of Task Force (TF) Panther (built around the 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division) from June 2002 to January 2003. LTC Charles K. Hardy was the battalion Commander. Batteries A and B of 1-319 AFAR manned M120 120 mm mortars, while Battery