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FEATURED

Pathfinders inactivate, pass on torch

by Sgt. Duncan Brennan, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade
Aug 4, 2016

Captain Daniel Marshall, (left), commander of F Company, 5th Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne
Division, Sgt. 1st Class Alexander Charland, company first sergeant and Pat Dougherty, (back left), 101st Pathfinder
Company commander from 1971 until 1972, case the company guidon in an inactivation ceremony Tuesday. The
ceremony marked the inactivation of F Co., Pathfinders, 5th Bn., 101st Combat Avn. Bde., after a more than 70-year
history with the 101st.
Photo by Sgt. Duncan Brennan | 101st Cab

Seventy-two years of service came to an end Tuesday as the Soldiers of F Company,

Pathfinders, 5th Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, took part in
an inactivation ceremony to commemorate the long history and accomplishments of the unit.

U.S. Army Pathfinders, with the motto of first in-last out, began as paratroopers in the 1940s

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during World War II and had the mission of infiltrating areas before airborne assaults. Their job
was to set up drop zones to guide aircraft to specific locations and provide a visual target for
airborne troops to land during combat jumps.

The first operation of the 101st Pathfinders was to light the way for Soldiers jumping into
Normandy, France, during D Day. Capt. Frank Lillyman was the company commander during that
first rendezvous with destiny for what would later become the 101st Pathfinder Company.

The Pathfinders found themselves instrumental at different points in history. They set up landing
zones for helicopters in Vietnam. And in January 1991, the Pathfinders lit the way and helped set
up forward armament and refueling points to support the longest and largest air assault in history
during Operation Desert Storm.

With more 70 years of history, the Pathfinders are no stranger to destiny. Whether it’s lighting the
way for Operation Overlord or conducting static-line jumps, the 101st Pathfinders are committed
to the profession of arms.

“Today is a significant day, and will no doubt be a day to remember,” said Lt. Col. Ryan P. Boyle,
the commander of 5th Bn., 101st CAB. “The last time something of this magnitude occurred for
our Pathfinder’s was Oct. 16, 2013 when Fox Company conducted its final static-line jump. It has
been almost three years since then but the Soldiers standing on the field today continue to carry
on the legacy of excellence of this proud unit. Before we bid farewell Fox Company Pathfinders,
we pause to recognize the unique history and legacy of this incredible organization.”

The 101st Pathfinders can trace the unit’s heritage all the way back to the night of June 6, 1944,
and many other conflicts through the decades. They bring more to the table than just a storied
lineage. The 101st Pathfinders provide a unique set of skills that differentiate themselves from
other infantry units.

“The main missions for Pathfinders are downed-aircraft recovery, personnel recovery, landing-
zone reconnaissance and pick-up zone control,” said Staff Sgt. Adam Brousseau, a Pathfinder
team leader with Co. F, 5th Bn., 101st CAB. “We have a specialized mission. Most infantry units
don’t train on what we do. We’re experts at anything relating to aircraft because we train with the
air crews and pilots pretty much every day. The Pathfinder inactivation is definitely a loss of an
asset.”

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As the Soldiers of the Pathfinder Company write the final chapter in a long and storied history, a
new rendezvous with destiny is within reach. When Pathfinder teams are reassigned to the
infantry brigades, they will keep their expertise and the lineage within the division.

“The inactivation, it’s unfortunate,” said Capt. Daniel Marshall, company commander. “It’s nothing
that any of us want. The good thing about that is the capabilities of the Pathfinders are going to
stay in the division.”

The Pathfinders who stay within the division will be kept together. Keeping the integrity of the
teams helps to preserve the expertise and capabilities of the Pathfinders for the infantry brigades
to capitalize on.

We’re going to push a team down to each brigade combat team,” Marshall said. “This last training
cycle we prepared and evaluated the Pathfinders so the brigades will get well-trained teams. The
division will still have the capabilities of these Pathfinders, it’s just now they will be located within
the brigades instead of a single company.”

What makes the Pathfinders so different is their ability to influence operations by getting
information to higher headquarters and creating ways to get larger forces into the fight.

“The Pathfinders are independent and able to execute the commander’s intent,” Marshall said.
“They are able to accomplish the mission in austere environments under minimal guidance. The
Pathfinders are infantry first. What separates them from the other Screaming Eagle infantrymen
is their unique, Pathfinder skill set. Their ability to select and prepare helicopter landing zones
and conduct landing-zone operations is unparalleled throughout the division. They can operate
10 to 15 kilometers ahead of our forward line of troops and bring in a brigade-sized air assault all
with only eight to 11 personnel. They can conduct reconnaissance, establish the landing zone
and perform air traffic control for the air assault.”

Within the 101st CAB, the Pathfinders are unique. They are a company of infantry in the aviation
world. This uniqueness is only the most recent form of attributes that set the Pathfinders apart
from their peers.

“While it may be a statement of the obvious, Fox Company will forever remain unique,” Boyle
said. “Conceived out of necessity, and forged in battle, this team has accomplished so much and
has done so under dangerous and difficult conditions, and asked for nothing in return. This is a

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credit to all those who have served in your ranks. You represent all that is good in our great
nation.”

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