PATHFINDERS PARTICIPATE

Five men from the 73d Brigade's elite 77th Pathfinder Detachment, headquartered in Columbus, attended the 101st Air Assault School with Army Reservists and R.O.T.C. cadets.

The Buckeye Guard

Pathfinders 'Show Their Stuff'

BY SFC BOB DEVOE

Staff Writer

Five members of the Ohio Army Guard's elite 77th Pathfinder Detachment got a chance to "show their stuff" during Annual Training at Ft. Campbell recently by attending the tough Airborne Air Assault School.

The Assault Course is seven and one half days long and is run by active Army NCO's. Officers are not recognized on the school's grounds and "cadets" assume all chain of command positions.

CPL Debra Nightingale, an active Army instructor with the school (and the first female instructor) explains "A student must first be recommended by his commander in order to attend Air Assault School and, the student must be able to pass the rigorous Airborne physical fitness test too."

The Assault Course consists of classroom instruction; a confidence course (anyone failing to negotiate two obstacles is automatically dropped from the course); and a 10.9 mile road march. The road march is conducted in full battle dress including helmet, rifle and pack, and must be completed in under two hours, twenty minutes, according to the corporal.

In addition to the rough physical training, cadets are also required to learn hand and arm signals for helicopter ground operation s, and how to properly guide and move aircraft at a landing zone.

CPL Nightingale, and the other Air Assault instructors are proud of the fact they " don't cut any slack" for the cadets. The training is no-nonsense and requires a student to " pay attention to detail." "The confidence course teaches both self-confidence and trust in your equipment,"

emphasized Nightingale. Women may attend the course; but they are expected to do everything a male cadet does. And that includes male push-ups and the grueling road march .

CPL Nightingale, and the rest of the Assault School staff, view most National Guard troops as " long-haired and out of shape". They also feel most Guard members have " poor attitudes"; but they were " impressed" with the five Ohio Guardsmen attending the school. The Ohio Guardsmen had high praise  for the Air Assault school and its staff too.

Members of the 77th Pathfinder Detachment attending the school included : PFC Rick Wamsley, PFC James Snabl, PFC Mark Arnold, PFC John LaRue, and PFC Steven Bank. Most are attending college under the ONG Scholarship Program.