Special Operations.Com

Pathfinder School

Course Overview

MISSION. Pathfinder School is a 3-week course in which the student navigates dismounted, establishes and operates a day/night helicopter landing zone, establishes and operates a day/night CARP, GMRS, and Army VIRS parachute DZ, conducts slingload operations, provides air traffic control and navigational assistance to RW and FW airborne operations. Students participates in a 3-day FTX as a member of a Pathfinder Team (Team Leader and Assistant Team Leader are graded positions).

 PREREQUISITES. Active Army, Reserve, or National Guard Officers (2LT to CPT) or enlisted personnel (PFC to SFC) whose actual, or anticipated, duty assignment requires performance of Pathfinder duties in CMFs 11, 12, 13, or 18 and MOSs 11B, 11C, 11H, 11M, 19D, 92Y, 88M, 93C. Warrant Officers (WO1 to WO3) with MOSs 131A, 180A, or 921A may attend. Enlisted applicants must have a GT score of 100, or above. All applicants must have passed a valid Pathfinder physical within one-year, have a minimum profile serial of 111121 and have no speech impediment. Physicals for Airborne qualified personnel must indicate "Cleared to participate in airborne operations." Upon completion of the course, service member must have a minimum of one year remaining in the service.

 SPECIAL INFORMATION. Active and Reserve Marine Corps Officers (2LT to CPT) and Enlisted personnel (SGT to GnSGT) in logistics and combat arms may attend. Active and Reserve Air Force enlisted personnel serving as combat control team/forward air controllers (SGT to MSGT) may attend. ). All commanders must ensure applicants report to and sign in at Bldg 2748 (Student Accountability) on the report date (Sunday). Student inprocessing begins at 0600 Monday morning. All service members report with a current physical, identification tags, identification cards, 10 copies of orders, and 2-1. Course attendees will be on full per diem and will pay mess/billeting. Non-availability statements are not authorized. MOS skills: 55B, 68J, 77F, and 31-series assigned to the 160^th SOAR (A) will be accepted by an exception to policy.

 WAIVERS. The submission of requests for waiver is discouraged; course prerequisites have specific rationale and are well established. However service members may request the waiver of a specific course prerequisite. Those waiver requests will be submitted in memorandum format through the member’s Battalion Commander (or, first O-5 in the chain-of-command), through Commander, 11^th Infantry Regiment, USAIS, Fort Benning, GA 31905, to the Commander, 1^st Battalion (Airborne), 507^th Infantry, 11^th Infantry Regiment, Fort Benning, GA 31905. All requests for waiver will address a specific prerequisite and contain a complete justification and persuasive argument for granting the waiver. Waiver request submission does not ensure favorable consideration.

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