Courtesy Photo | The Pennsylvania National Guard's 28th Pathfinder Detachment pictured at Leapfest in...... read more read more
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By Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Heft
The Pennsylvania Army National Guard has been a diverse organization throughout its 275-year history, fielding almost every type of unit the Army has had in its inventory.
From the 1970s to 1990s, the PAARNG was home to one of the Army’s elite pathfinder detachments, who honed their skills on the weekends with airborne, air assault and sling-load operations.
Pathfinder detachments were new elements to the National Guard in the 1970s. They had proved their worth guiding paratroopers into Normandy in World War II, and again on the frozen drop zones of Korea in the 1950s.
During the Vietnam War, the role of the pathfinder shifted to primarily serving as a guide to helicopter aviation units inserting infantry formations into combat, and sling-loading equipment to remote sites.
With many rotary wing aviation units established across the National Guard, pathfinder detachments were soon stood up in Ohio, Texas, California and the Virgin Islands.
The 28th Infantry Detachment (Pathfinder), the first airborne element of the Pennsylvania National Guard, received federal recognition on Oct. 1, 1978, though it had been serving in a state capacity for nearly two years.
The Pathfinders were initially organized in 1976 and never numbered more than a platoon in strength with an initial complement of only eight enlisted men. The unit was originally based around a core of veteran Vietnam War pathfinders and former active-duty Army paratroopers, including Sgt. Bill Kohr, who was decorated with the Silver Star and Bronze Star while serving as a pathfinder with the 101st Airborne at Firebase Ripcord in Vietnam.
The unit quickly recruited to strength and began operations, training and jumping from Chinook helicopters at Fort Indiantown Gap.
Known as an elite organization, the pathfinders also demonstrated their skills in demonstrations and expositions across the state. Soldiers from the 28th Pathfinders participated in fast rope demonstrations for recruiting, assisted line Infantry units in air assault operations and conducted parachute jumps for the division’s centennial celebration in 1979.
In 1981 a team from the 28th Pathfinders participated and won the annual “Leapfest” Airborne competition in Rhode Island.
Their skills were also put to the test in real-world emergencies, including rescue operations during statewide flooding in 1977.
Serving under the 28th Aviation Battalion in Harrisburg, the unit initially wore a homemade flash of a half red and half black keystone before adopting a traditional jump oval and flash.
The unit served the 28th Infantry Division until 1987 when it was consolidated with the 104th Cavalry’s long-range surveillance detachment. The unit continued airborne service, redesignating as the 104th Infantry Detachment (LRS), and demonstrating their professionalism on the battlefields of Iraq before inactivating in 2006 as the division’s last airborne element.
Though the detachment no longer serves today, pathfinder-qualified Soldiers can be found serving in the ranks of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, carrying on their legacy.
(Editor’s note: Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Heft is a former platoon sergeant with 1st Battalion, 111th Infantry Regiment, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard. He is currently a historian at the U.S. Army Center of Military History at Fort McNair, D.C.)
| Date Taken: | 08.16.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 08.16.2023 13:39 |
| Story ID: | 451470 |
| Location: | PA, US |
| Web Views: | 300 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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