United States Army Pathfinder Badge

Criteria: Awarded to U.S. Army soldiers who have successfully completed the three week Pathfinder School at Fort Benning, Georgia. While on a “dismounted” (on foot) field navigation, soldiers must establish and operate a day/night helicopter landing zone, as well as a day/night CARP, GMRS, and Army VIRS parachute DZ. They must also successfully conduct sling load operations, and provide air traffic control and navigational assistance to airborne operations. Training includes advanced land navigation, advanced scouting, tactical field air traffic control, and parachute operations control ending in a three day FTX field simulation operation as a member of a Pathfinder team. Although the award was originally approved in 1964, pathfinders were used during airborne operations in World War II which included the Allied airborne D-Day landings at Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944.

Abbreviation: PFDRBAD