NEWS | Aug. 6, 2019

Ribbon Cutting for Utah Guard’s new Special Forces Readiness Center

By Maj. D.J. Gibb, 801-716-9063 Utah National Guard

The Utah National Guard’s 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly built Staff Sgt. Aaron Rhett Butler Special Forces Readiness Center, at 10 a.m., Friday, Aug. 9, 2019 at Camp Williams.

This state-of-the-art building has been in the works for the past 10 years, and broke ground for construction on Oct. 17, 2017. It has been built by Jacobsen Construction of Salt Lake City, at a cost of $39 million. The more than 140,000-square-foot facility will serve as the administrative building, classroom building and main training and operations space for the 19th Special Forces Group Headquarters and 1st Battalion, 19th SFG (A). The project will not officially be completed until the end of September.

The building is being dedicated to Staff Sgt. Aaron R. Butler who was killed in action on Aug. 16, 2017, while engaging with the enemy in Afghanistan. The loss of Butler reminds us that the focus of the 19th SFG (A) is to provide quality training to each service member, in preparation to defend the U.S. and free the oppressed in far reaches of the world.

The 19th SFG (A) is growing to become one of the largest major commands in Utah. The 19th SFG (A) originally constituted in the Utah National Guard on May 1, 1960 and enjoys a long and successful history as one of only two National Guard Special Forces Groups in the nation. Its unique mission, capabilities and unit cohesiveness have been demonstrated may times around the globe.  From its earliest exercises in the Republic of Korea to the continuing War on Terrorism, the Soldiers of the 19th SFG (A) continue to be a relevant asset to international defense initiatives while also being leaders in their respective local communities.

The building will be open at 9:30 a.m. with static displays to view in and around the building. Following the event, Guard members, families and residents may tour a portion of the facility and view the static displays.

The armory employs approximately 120 full-time personnel and hosts more than 600 Soldiers every month for training.

Media Notes: Media are invited to this event and should arrive by 9:30 a.m. Please RSVP by Aug. 8. For more information, contact MAJ D.J. Gibb at (801) 716-9063.  See our webpage for more information and links to current photos, videos, social media, and more.

 

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