The history and lineage of the 519th Hospital Center is derived from the 819th Hospital Center which was constituted on 27 October 1944 in the Army of the United States as the 819th Medical Service Detachment and activated 22 November 1944 in Bar-le-Duc, France to provide medical support to the US Army Communication Zone, Europe. The initial manning authorized 7 Officers, 1 Nurse, 1 Warrant Officer, and 23 Enlisted Men. The Center was designed to coordinate and logistically support five to seven General Hospitals within U.S. Army Europe.
On 10 April 1945, the 819th Medical Service Detachment was redesignated as the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 819th Hospital Center. Its mission consisted of centralized casualty receiving, evacuation, medical logistics, utilities, sanitation, transportation, laboratory, and guard activities that resulted in an economy of personnel with diverse occupational specialties and an increased efficiency of operation. The unit was inactivated on 12 November 1945 in France.
Allotted on 24 March 1962 to the Regular Army and redesignated as Headquarters, 819th Hospital Center, the unit was concurrently activated in Orleans, France. Under its command and control were the five medical service areas of in Bremerhaven, Chinon, Orleans, Siene, and Verdun as well as the U.S. Army Veterinary Detachment Giessen. The unit was once again inactivated 10 March 1967 in France. Re-designated 12 March 2018 as the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 519th Hospital Center and the unit was activated on 16 September 2020 as part of the Army’s force design update that transitioned the legacy 212th Combat Support Hospital into the 519th Hospital Center, the 512th Field Hospital and the 167th Medical Augmentation Detachment.
Assigned to the 30th Medical Brigade and in support of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command and U.S. Army Europe and Africa, the 519th Hospital Center is a mission command headquarters that provides tailored forces to deliver U.S. Role 2/3 Combat Health Support for Unified Land Operations for the USEUCOM and USAFRICOM areas of operation. The 519th Hospital Center commands the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 519th Hospital Center, the 512th Field Hospital, the 160th Forward Resuscitative Surgical Detachment and the 67th Forward Resuscitative Surgical Detachment.
The Distinctive Unit Insignia for the 519th Hospital Center consists of a shield symbolic of the strength displayed through military service. The colors red, white, and blue suggest the national colors of the United States. The fleur-de-lis denotes the unit’s history in the U.S. Army Europe Communications Zone (USAREUR COMMZ). To the left of the shield is a red cross on a white field, which refers to the coat of arms of Rhineland-Pfalz, Germany. The red cross further alludes to the unit’s mission in medical care. The blue arrow reflects the heritage of the parent unit, the 819th Hospital Center, while the silver star commemorates the campaign credit earned in World War II (Rhineland).
Their motto is “Victory Through Strength!”