3rd Battalion, 319th Field Artillery Regiment

3rd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment
319th AFAR distinctive unit insignia
Active	1917–present
Country	United States
Branch	Army
Type	Airborne field artillery
Garrison/HQ	Fort Bragg
Equipment	M119A3 / M777A2
Engagements	World War I World War II Operations Desert Shield & Desert Storm Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan Operation Iraqi Freedom
Commanders
Notable commanders	Major General Larry Gottardi, 1987-1990 Major General Jay Hood, 1992-1994 Major General Rodney O. Anderson, 1996-1998
Insignia
319th AFAR coat of arms
Unit flash

The 3rd Battalion, 319th Field Artillery Regiment ("3–319th AFAR") is the field artillery battalion that is part the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. Known as the "Gun Devils", 3–319th AFAR has participated in battles from World War I to the current day, and is one of the most highly decorated field artillery units in the United States Army. The battalion's mission is "3-319th AFAR stands ready to deploy worldwide within 18 hours of notification, execute a parachute assault and conduct full-spectrum operations. Specifically, the battalion will provide responsive lethal and nonlethal fires in support of forcible entry and airfield seizure, and integrate and synchronize the effects of fires to achieve the 1BCT commander's intent."

The 3rd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment traces its lineage in Battery C, 319th Field Artillery Regiment. During World War I, the battery was one of six 4-gun 155mm batteries in the 157th Field Artillery Brigade, and participated in three major offensives: St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, and Lorraine. The first commander of Battery C was Captain D.T. Peavy, who formed the battery on 4 September 1917, from a group of officers recently graduated from the 7th Provisional Training Regiment who had arrived at the regiment on 30 August. In April 1918, Captain Peavy was reassigned to the 157th Depot Brigade, and Captain Strawbridge assumed command of the battery. The battery sailed to Europe on the British liner "Lapland", departing on 19 May 1918, and arriving in Liverpool, England, on 30 May 1918.

In World War II, the battalion participated in campaigns in North Africa, Chuinzi Pass, Italy, and the Battle of the Bulge.

The 3-319 AFAR, commanded by LTC (later MG) Lee E. Surut, deployed to Vietnam in support of the 173rd Airborne Brigade in May 1965. The unit fired the first American artillery in the Vietnam War, when the base piece of Battery C conducted its first registration. Less than 30 days after deploying, TF Surut (3-319 AFAR reinforced with cavalry, engineers and others) conducted the artillery's first combat air assault when they secured a landing zone, emplaced their howitzers and provided support to infantry TF Dexter. The 3-319th AFAR was the first U.S. Army unit to participate in offensive operations by providing fires support to South Vietnamese Army forces relieving the town of Dong Xoai in June 1965. It was joined by the 161st Bty, Royal New Zealand Artillery in June 1965 which was attached as the fourth firing battery.