The team leader established radio contact with the inbound flight leader and infantry battalion commander as the team began to place out navigational aids. Operating in covert intelligence gathering operations, direct action, and counter-guerrilla warfare. Todays U.S. Army Pathfinders trace their illustrious history and legacy back to the beginning of World War II. Specialized soldier who prepares sites for airborne operations, For specialized bomber guidance used during World War II, see. He had previously served with the 11th Pathfinder Company. First Lt. Jerome Paull, the patrol leader, called for immediate extraction, and shortly afterward, a Marine helicopter arrived to pick them up. During this period, elements of the 11th Pathfinder Company conducted seven different parachute infiltrations in support of airmobile operations in the vicinity of Phan Thiet on the South China seacoast. This element was known as MIKE Force and could respond and reinforce friendly bases under the threat of being overrun. Blue denotes the Sky of airborne and airmobile operations. Operational security and secrecy were prime considerations in determining how patrols would enter the objective area. Colonel) Frank Lillyman, leader of the 101st Pathfinders, was among the first Americans to land in France at 0015 hours on 6 June. We were equipped with a British homing radio and U.S. Navy Aldis lamps, which radiated a beam to guide planes. The pathfinders would be extracted from the area by the aircraft used to insert the patrol. While the 11th Pathfinder Company was assigned to the 1st Air Cavalry Division's reconnaissance section, units such as the 1st . The jumpers were all seated in the left door of the helicopter and exited the aircraft on a pre-determined time count after turning onto the drop heading from the final aerial checkpoint. When the U.S. Army reorganized its combat divisions under the modular concept, long range surveillance detachments (LRSD) were eliminated at division level. Photo courtesy ofsoldiersystems.net. The bronze star on the parachute wings represents the combat parachute jumps made by unit members in Vietnam. Their radar beacons did work somewhat effectively; even though the pathfinders set up their equipment off course, many of the sticks of follow up paratroopers landed clustered near these beacons. In time the 54th Infantry Platoon was activated in Wenatchee, WA, and the 79th Infantry Platoon at Fort Douglas, UT. [32] This was followed on 15 May 2015 by the inactivation of the 159th CAB, which included the brigade's pathfinder company. Their primary mission was to locate a communication wire used by the North Vietnamese Army. Though its colors incorporate those of the pathfinder cloth badge, each had specific meaning symbolizing the units audacity, capability, and function. It originated with the 187th Pathfinder Detachment and was adopted by the 11th Pathfinder Company. Since the Netherlands did not have a pathfinders unit before that, they were founded on the Belgian model where they receive their pathfinder courses in Schaffen. In a history of the 509th PIB's wartime actions titled "Stand in the Door! Elements of the 18th VC Regiment were also thought to be in the area. Photos courtesy of the Mike Force Association and Wikimedia Commons. We jumped from C-123 aircraft at 700 feet AGL (Above the Ground Level), Whitting wrote. The decision was made to infiltrate pathfinders ahead of the assault echelon because of the danger of landing helicopters in formation at night on rolling sand dunes and the desire to achieve surprise. Following the Korean War the Air Force took over responsibility for drop zone control of troop carrier aircraft during parachute operations. USAREUR Units - 11th Avn Gp - USArmyGermany.com The Vietnam War would see the widest use of Army Pathfinders. He is also the host of the Late Night History podcast. [30] These pathfinder units filled roles across the spectrum of their doctrinal missions, along with other roles outside of their prescribed task lists. This provided a timely on-the-spot report of the situation in and around the LZ. Huston, James A. Their tasks were to mark the drop zones (DZ) or landing zones (LZ), set up radio beacons as a guide for the aircraft carrying the main force and to clear and protect the area as the main force arrived. On airmobile training missions, aviators and troop unit leaders needed to readily identify pathfinders. However, it was clear that the existing command structure for the pathfinders was not responsive to its increasing mission needs. Thus, the decision was made to infiltrate at night a pathfinder element to locate and establish a night landing site for insertion of a SOG patrol 21 hours later. The US Army's 11th Aviation Group landed in country in August 1965, and while assigned to the 1st Air Cavalry Division expanded its Pathfinder unit to company size, creating the provisional 11th Pathfinder Company. Once on the ground, the team would conduct reconnaissance of the immediate vicinity, set up a limited security perimeter, and establish a helicopter landing zone for assault forces from the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry. The insignia of the new airmobile division was a modification of the patch of the 11th Airborne Division that had been deactivated several years earlier. Electrocuted. According toGordon Rottman, an Army Special Forces veteran of the 5th Special Forces Group and author of the book seriesVietnam: Airborne,the MIKE Forces in Vietnam conducted more combat jumps than any other organization in Vietnam. REUNIONS - digital.dav.org By December 22, 1944, the units defending the town were surrounded and running low on supplies. Concurrently the 101st CAB was redesignated as the CAB, 101st Airborne Division, bringing it in line with other non-numbered divisional CABs. The 187th Pathfinder Detachment, an Infantry Center unit, was attached to the division as an interim solution until new pathfinder teams were operational. He was KIA. Shortly thereafter, these teams performed flawlessly in the highly successful night airborne reinforcement of the Salerno beachhead on the mainland of Italy on 13 and 14 September 1943. During the Korean War the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team was organized out of the 11th Airborne Division in Japan and deployed to combat. The 11th Aviation Group re-deployed from Southeast Asia in March 1973. By August 1965, he was on a Naval Transport to Vietnam. Coffee or Die Magazine | 4 American Units That Conducted Multiple MIKE Force were well-trained soldiers from the 5th Special Forces Group organized into 150-man companies. Terrain was hardwood forest with tall grass and brush undergrowth. The U.S. Air Force Special Tactics Squadrons perform pathfinder-type roles. A variation of this first patch later became the Armys standard cloth Pathfinder insignia until replaced in 1968 by the current smaller metal badge. Especially noteworthy is the fact that no aircrew or pathfinder personnel were injured or killed nor were any aircraft damaged or lost despite the hazardous conditions. As the scope and tempo of training and testing increased in 1963, three unique features came to be associated with the pathfinders. I had a T-10 Parachute and Reserve, a Rucksack, Medics Aid-Bag, an M-16, 300 Rounds of Ammunition, a 38 Caliber Special Pistol in my trouser belt, and a 200 lb weapons container on a drop line in front and below the Reserve Chute.. [12], Due to the ineffective placement of the pathfinders, the follow-up waves of paratroopers were not dropped in the right place either. The low jump altitude partially offset the effect of the high winds and all jumpers landed fairly close together. Most of them are senior members of parachute units and have earned the right to wear the maroon beret. An eight-man team led by 1LT Flynn parachuted at night into a DZ with the mission of establishing an ambush near the DZ/LZ until a rifle company closed onto the area by foot later in the day for extraction by helicopter. In 1965, these new mounted troops began deploying to Camp Radcliff located at An Khe, in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Wikimedia Commons photo. West Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue University Press, 1998, pp. As the team leader contacted the extraction helicopter and two accompanying UH-1B gunships by radio and pinpointed his position in the LZ with a signal mirror, he detected a blue-clad individual about 40 meters off the LZ. It is one of two aviation brigades of Army Reserve Aviation Command.The brigade consists of a headquarters company, two Black Hawk . The US Army's 11th Aviation Group landed in the country in August 1965, and while assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) expanded its Pathfinder unit to company size, creating the provisional 11th Pathfinder Company. By summer of 1964 training intensified in preparation for the final big testing phase scheduled for October-November in the Carolinas. On the morning of Nov. 10, six pathfinders leaped from a UH-1D helicopter hovering at approximately 900 feet above the ground and floated down under the canopy of theirT-10 parachutes. Are you looking for a family member, an old Army buddy, wish to share any of your old photos or records, or even observe information that needs correcting? Each regular force infantry regiment has one dedicated airborne company. The size of the pathfinder elements in these combat jumps varied from three-man to eight-man teams. The 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry located at LZ Hammonds (BR 878540) would conduct a night air assault into the Soui Ca Valley to move to and establish a blocking position further up the valley. Photo courtesy of the National Pathfinder Association/Facebook. The platoon operates in teams of 6 men. There was a great expansion of Army aviation following the Korean War, and by 1960 the Army had a fleet of about 5000 various type helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. Availability: In stock Quantity: + Add to Cart 11th Pathfinder Detachment BUCCANEER Pocket Patch $135.00 11th Pathfinder Detachment BUCCANEER Pocket Patch. The Dutch pathfinders platoon maintains close cooperation with their Belgian counterparts, with joint training facilities and exercises.[20]. [28] The courses taught at the WTC and Fort Campbell do not include parachute jumps. Pathfinders determined the most practical landing zones, withdrawal routes, approach lanes, and landing sites for helicopter assaults, in hostile areas. [15] Much like the paratroopers in Normandy, however, the overall operation was a success as the paratroopers still managed to accomplish their missions and capture their objectives in conjunction with the seaborne landing forces. [1] The 22nd Independent Parachute Company was raised in May 1943 and was part of the 6th Airborne Division, under the command of Major General Richard "Windy" Gale. None of the DZs were prepared by artillery, and all of the missions except one involved the insertion of pathfinder elements by parachute ahead of a helicopter assault. IN MEMORY HONOR ROLL - Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund The mission required 13 Marines from the1st Force Reconnaissance Companyto execute a low, static-line night insert onto Hill 555, located east of the Trahn River near the south-central coast of Vietnam. As the division grew in size, three new pathfinder teams (2 officers and 13 men each) were authorized in the 11th Aviation Group and gradually filled during late 1963 and early 1964. Gen. Frank S. Bowen, decided against using pathfinders on the jump. [40] The Sabalauski Air Assault School at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, under the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), continues to operate its own Pathfinder course.[41]. Infiltrate by parachute a six-man pathfinder team into LZ Tackle (ZA 206230) to conduct a hasty reconnaissance, clear and mark LZ, and establish control for landing 15 minutes later a reinforced CIDG company with Special Forces advisors. The low clouds and extremely intense anti-aircraft fire caused the pathfinder sticks to be dropped off course, with only one stick landing in the correct place (Ambrose, p.196). 1st Class Melvin Hill, Staff Sgt. Thus began a unique military organization that contributed significantly in peace and war to the development of the Armys Airmobile concept and its unmatched effectiveness in combat. The jumpmaster used radar vector and visual checkpoints for in route navigation. Because of the sporadic enemy fire and blowing sand, the aircraft were directed to land in two-ship sections at 15-second intervals. The Green Berets operated behind enemy lines for five days and collected enough intelligence to chalk it up as a successful mission. In multiple deployments, soldiers saw a changed Vietnam The purpose of the battle group, which was organized differently than standard battle groups, was to provide training support to the Aviation Center. 11th Pathfinder Company - Facebook New Soviet green inner pilot helmet GSH-6 size 58-60 cm original Russian USSR, Details about IUNIO Camping Axe Multi-Tool Hatchet Survival Kit Folding Portable Tactical T.. $1 BRASS SLOT TOKEN COIN . [14] While the bad weather and heavy anti-aircraft curtailed the effectiveness of the pathfinder teams on D-Day, the overall airborne drop was a success. They proudly wear the Pathfinder Torch and still live by the official Pathfinder motto: SEMPER PRIMUS (Always First). 29 March 1972: PFC Larry - National Pathfinder Association | Facebook Save up to $4,649 on one of 7,134 used 2011 Nissan Pathfinders near you. The after-action review of this operation determined that the 900-foot jump altitude resulted in too much exposure in the air for the jumpers and too large a landing pattern on the ground. Each Pathfinder team consisted of 9 to 14 signaling specialist with two Eureka sets and nine Holophane lights, plus a five man security detachment. The 509th PIB, the 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team, and the 551st PIB formed the American airborne contingent of the invasion, dropping into the French Riviera in the early hours of the morning. Vietnam War Airborne Patch, Combat Infantry Badge, Wall-E Patches & Pins . The pilot quickly picked the Huey up to a hover, turned it 180 degrees and made a maximum power take-off back along the approach route. [14], The invasion of the South of France took place on August 15, 1944, in the form of Operation Dragoon (Rottman, p.80). At 21:30 on June 5, about 200 pathfinders began to take off from North Witham, for the French Cotentin Peninsula, in 20 Douglas C-47 Skytrain aircraft of the 9th Troop Carrier Command Pathfinder Group. On 1 July 1975 the unit was reorganized and re-flagged as Company C (Pathfinder), 509th Infantry, and it retained this designation until 1 June 1993 when it was re-flagged as Company A (Pathfinder), 511th Infantry. With fragments of practical knowledge from the British Airborne, company commander Captain Howland and his XO 1st Lt. Fred E. Perry worked hard to develop usable techniques. 107TH SIGNAL COMPANY-50TH VIETNAM REUNION Aug. 9-11, Warwick, RI, Contact: Julian Angelone, Ph: 401-487-5368, Email: jpangelone1@gmail.com. The members of the unit are known as "Precs", abbreviation of precursores, meaning "precursors" or "pathfinders" in Portuguese. [13] This is especially remarkable considering that the number of pathfinder sticks and the number of men in each stick were reduced to the bare minimum (one per drop zone) for this drop.[12]. No permission to republish is permitted without written consent. The 16 Air Assault Brigade employs elite pathfinders in their Pathfinder Platoon. The team departed LZ Uplift at 2000 hours. [13] A combination of the drop taking place in broad daylight and that the Germans were not expecting an airborne attack allowed the pathfinders to land on target and guide in the rest of the paratroopers to the proper locations. Photo Credit Willie King and The US Army Pathfinder school, 10th Combat Aviation Bn, 12th Aviation Group and later 17th Avn Group Pathfinder Detachment Dong Ba Thin, Than Thiet, 11th Combat Aviation Bn, 12th Aviation Group Pathfinder Detachment Phu Loi, 13th Combat Aviation Bn, 164th Aviation Group Pathfinder Detachment I and II Soc Trang, Can Tho, 17th Aviation Group Pathfinder Det (unconfirmed), 121st ASHC Pathfinder Det (fell under 13th CAB) Soc Trang, 52nd Combat Aviation Bn Security Detachment Pathfinders Camp Holloway, Pleiku, Ban Me Thout, 145th Combat Aviation Bn Pathfinder Detachment Bien Hoa, 147th ASHC Assault Support Helicopter Company Pathfinder Det, 178th ASHC Pathfinder Det (fell under 11th Combat Aviation Battalion), 214th Combat Aviation Bn Pathfinder Detachment Dong Tam, Bear Cat, 222nd Combat Aviation Bn Pathfinder Detachment Bear Cat, Vung Tau, 268th Combat Aviation Bn Pathfinder Detachment Phu Hiep, Tuy Hoa, 269th Combat Aviation Bn Pathfinder Detachment Cu Chi, Dau Tieng, 307th Combat Aviation Bn Pathfinder Detachment Soc Trang, Can Tho (consolidated with 13th CAB Pathfinders), 308th Combat Aviation Bn Pathfinder Detachment (consolidated with 160th Pathfinders 101st Airborne), HHD 1st Aviation Bn Pathfinder Detachment Phu Loi, HHC 4th Aviation Bn Pathfinder Detachment Pleiku, Plei Djereng, Polei Kleng, Dak Pek, Duc Co, Dak Seang, 11th Pathfinder Company (Provisional) An Khe, HHC 11th Aviation Group (4Teams), 227th Assault Helicopter Bn Pathfinder Detachment, 228th Assault Helicopter Bn Pathfinder Detachment, 229th Assault Helicopter Bn Pathfinder Detachment, 9th Aviation Bn Pathfinder Det Bear Cat 1968, 25th Combat Aviation Bn Pathfinder Detachment Cu Chi, 14th Combat Aviation Bn Pathfinder Detachment Chu Lai, Quang Ngai, Quang Tri in 71, 123rd Combat Aviation Bn Pathfinder Detachment, HHC 101st Aviation Bn Pathfinder Detachment Bien Hoa, Camp Eagle, RIPCORD, HHC 160th Aviation Group Pathfinder Detachment Bien Hoa Camp Eagle, RIPCORD, Photo credit Fran Bujnowski and Ed carter, Photo credit Fran Bujnowski and Ed Carter, Bujnowski Ettinger photo credit Fran Bujnowski, Photo Credit Fran Bujnowski and Ed Carter, Shortly after returning from Vietnam Courtesy Pat Dougherty. Early combat operations of the 1st Air Cav showed a clear need for a Pathfinder capability in combat aviation units. The 511th PIR was the only Pacific based airborne unit to employ pathfinders, which it did in the Philippines. The DZ was located on a sandy spit between the lake and the South China Sea and consisted of rolling sand dunes and scattered brush. It was deployed to Borneo during the Borneo Confrontation where it was used provide reinforcement to the SAS and its professional performance resulted in the formation of G Sqn of that regiment in 1966.[6][7]. These elite groups would precede the main airborne force with visual and electronic signaling devices to guide aircraft to the designated DZs. They quickly setup a four-ship LZ using a lighted T for the lead aircraft and single lights for the landing point for each of the other aircraft. Please submit your comments, concerns, or questions to our site webmaster. Certain American units including Army Special Forces, Force Recon, and MACV-SOG carried out multiple combat jumps in Indochina during the conflict. Its role includes locating and marking drop zones and helicopter landing zones for air landing operations. By 1965, some 1,400 Green Berets were in Vietnam. In the Canadian Armed Forces, airborne pathfinders are paratroopers who besides securing drop zones, gathering intelligence, and briefing follow-on forces also conduct ambushes and reconnaissance behind enemy lines. He and his men didn't know much about the politics. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial stands as a symbol of America's honor and recognition of the men and women who served and sacrificed their lives in the Vietnam War. Several of these jumps were conducted at night. However, the parachutes could not be recovered from the trees in the dark. After Basic Training, Infantry Training, Army Airborne School, and Pathfinder School, Bob was assigned to the 11th Pathfinder Co, and became part of the newly formed 1st Cavalry Division Airmobile. Pathfinders taking part in the Allied parachute assault on Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944, were trained by the Pathfinder School at RAF North Witham (U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) designation 'Army Air Force Station 479') Lincolnshire. The 2d Battalion, 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment (later re-designated as the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion) borrowed ideas and equipment from the British airborne forces. read more read less. The pathfinder team consisted of 1LT Luther L. Sanders, SSG James R. Martin, and CPL Carl L. Weaver. The team flew to the Plei Do Lim Special Forces Camp about 10 miles away to linkup with supporting radio relay personnel, and then returned by air to An Khe for debriefing by Division G-2 personnel. There were no friendly units in the area. After marking the DZs and LZs the company was trapped with the rest of the division in the Oosterbeek Perimeter, suffering heavy casualties in what is now known as the Battle of Arnhem. Insertion techniques were as follows: The tentative drop zone (DZ) had been selected from aerial photos and confirmed by high speed low-level overflight by the team leader in an OV-1 Mohawk two days prior to the operation. The activities of the Pathfinder Platoon, HHC, 160th Aviation Group, 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam are covered in the book "Pathfinder: First In, Last Out" by the late Richard R. Burns, a veteran of the unit. Army Pathfinders that have died in training or accidents. 2017NPA Copyright All Rights Reserved All Photos and text property of NPA and it's members. In November 1966, there were reports of enemy activity in an area about 12 miles north of the US Army's 1st Cavalry Division headquarters in An Khe. The ARA aircraft soon after engaged and destroyed a squad-size enemy force attempting to escape by boat across Dam Tra O Lake. Many of the same problems were encountered, as the men were scattered as far as 65 miles from their drop zones, due to high winds and poor navigation. The pathfinder teams dropped approximately thirty minutes before the main body in order to locate designated drop zones and provide radio and visual guides for the main force in order to improve the accuracy of the jump. However, operations during the Panama invasion and the Gulf War again showed that Pathfinders were an important factor in successful airmobile operations. The LZ was near a suspected VC assembly area. His body was not recovered until 6 January 1968. During World War II, the pathfinders were a group of volunteers selected within the Airborne units who were specially trained to operate navigation aids to guide the main airborne body to the drop zones. When the 101st Airborne Division stood down in Vietnam in early 1972, soldiers with time remaining on their tours, to include pathfinders, were reassigned to other units, such as the 3d Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division (Separate), and the division flag returned to Fort Campbell. Code-named Operation Harvest Moon, it was the first mass tactical combat airborne assault carried out by US Special Forces. Subsequent reorganizations and re-flaggings led to the 5th Infantry Detachment (Pathfinder) and 5th Infantry Platoon (Pathfinder). However the Special Forces (Airborne) units are mainly assigned such tasks as they are specialist in pathfinder operations using HALO/HAHO. Pathfinders and pilots conducted an aerial recon and dress rehearsal. However, their aircraft were scattered by low clouds and anti-aircraft fire. During the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, the 101st Airborne Division, along with elements of numerous other units, was trucked to the Belgian town of Bastogne in order to secure and defend the town which contained a major road junction. The pathfinder teams (sticks) were made up of a group of eight to twelve pathfinders and a group of six bodyguards whose job was to defend the pathfinders while they set up their equipment. Some Pathfinders landed 18 miles from the assigned DZs. Photo courtesy of theNational Pathfinder Association/Facebook. Pathfinders also were employed during Operation DRAGOON, the invasion of Southern France, but results were not good due to fog and darkness that created navigation problems for the Pathfinder aircraft. The first USAR unit was the 26th Infantry Platoon in Wichita, KS, which was formed with the lineage of a former Regular Army scout dog unit that had served in World War II and Korea. The gunship would then orbit north of the DZ to provide on-call support. [12] A quarter of an hour later, the main body of paratroopers from the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (504th PIR) landed right on the middle of the drop zone. These four units jumped more than most. After the Vietnam War, Pathfinders were in all major airborne units and various combat aviation battalions and groups, notably the 11th Aviation Group, by then stationed in Germany. Team size varied between three and eight men. In 1975, C Company (Pathfinder), 509th Infantry was activated as a separate company at the Army Aviation Center, Fort Rucker, Alabama, to provide training support to Aviation School. The drop aircraft departed the 1st Cavalry Division base camp at An Khe at 0745 hours. He viewed Natty Bumpo, the main character of a James Fennimore Cooper novel, as the first Pathfinder and a great role model for his Black Hats to emulate. "[citation needed]. The U.S. Army operates three Pathfinder schools. In military organizations, a pathfinder is a specialized soldier inserted or dropped into place in order to set up and operate drop zones, pickup zones, and helicopter landing sites for airborne operations, air resupply operations, or other air operations in support of the ground unit commander. This would then allow the ground element to cross the bridges in a rapid manoeuvre. They operated with the support of Indigenous troops, such as theMontagnardsand Chinese Nungs. [9] When they jumped, the pathfinders many times would encounter less resistance than the follow-up waves of paratroopers, simply because they had the element of surprise on their side. One team moved stealthily through enemy lines on foot and the other landed by boat to locate and mark DZs for the assaulting parachute forces. It would accommodate a single UH-1D if a few trees could be cut, but they also found unoccupied bunkers at each corner of the LZ. The primary consideration for infiltrating pathfinders at night and not employing artillery or illumination on the LZ was to achieve operational surprise. CO of the Group is Col Francis J. Toner. The Pathfinder Platoon is a specialist reconnaissance and special operations unit of the British Army, and an integral part of 16 Air Assault Brigade. However, artillery fires and illumination were available on call. 1st Infantry Division - US Army - Vietnam - Sons of Liberty Before and after his presidency were some of the greatest contributions Jimmy Carter made to the world we know today. [12] When the majority of the pathfinders landed directly on target, they were able to set up their radar sets and Krypton lights on the drop zone. On 2 August 2016 the remaining pathfinder company in the 101st Airborne Division was inactivated in a ceremony at Fort Campbell, KY.[33] Media accounts erred in stating that seventy-two years of service came to an end with the inactivation of the company. 1LT Ronald B. Flynn, SGT Barry J. Crites, SGT Richard C. Cunningham, CPL Roger C. Moak, PFC David K. Flick, and PFC Ronald C. Lunde. Find your perfect car with Edmunds expert reviews, car comparisons, and pricing tools. The unit is the most senior unit of the Indian Army. A second pertains to the nicknames of Natty Bumpo and BlackHats given to the pathfinders by Colonel (later Lt. General) George P. Seneff, commander of the 11th Aviation Group (Test) the parent unit of the pathfinders. Weather: unlimited visibility, scattered cloud cover, wind from NW at 10 knots; jump aircraft: UH-1D; drop speed: 50 knots; jump altitude: 900 feet; parachutes: T-10s with reserves. However, this extra equipment might require extra men to ensure individual jumpers were not overloaded and could quickly move cross-country on foot if necessary. This was followed by the 27th Infantry Platoon in Grand Prairie, TX, which had no prior history, and the 5th Infantry Platoon, which carried the lineage of a former Regular Army pathfinder unit that had been assigned to Fort Rucker, AL, from 1963 to 1975, when it was expanded and reflagged as Company C (Pathfinder), 509th Infantry. The pathfinder team consisted of 1LT Charles B. Fitt, SGT Barry J. Crites, PFC Ronald L. Lunde, PFC John Gillaspie, PFC William F. Lannigan, and PFC Hector V. Lozoya.