101st Recondo School Pre-Vietnam Curriculum

The 101st Recondo School curriculum during the pre-Vietnam era included a POW
compound exercise. Recondo students attending classes prior to 1964 completed a
short two-day POW compound training exercise where individuals were subject to
training that included water torture (water boarding), electrical shock, and confined
space burials. This portion of the course was conducted in the final week of training and
followed an escape and evasion exercise. The POW compound training was
discontinued following an IG investigation in 1964. The entire 3-4 week course typically
began with about 100 volunteers from different Army, Marine Corps and Air Force units
and graduated about 10 persons in each class who received the 101st Recondo Brand
(pocket patch) and a graduation number. Another twenty persons typically completed
the course but did not graduate and received only a certificate of completion.
Graduation required completing the obstacle course, runs to and from the Recondo
Rock Quarry, mountaineering and stream crossing, demolition, communications and FO
procedures, navigation and patrolling examinations. The hand to hand training was
limited to throws and falls but resulted in a few injuries and subsequent removal from
the course by those injured. The test score results of successfully passing two written
exams and three graded patrols were basic aspects of the course and the primary
means of ranking each student. Night parachute insertions were a special graded patrol
phase that was given to jumpmaster qualified students only. Recondo graduates were
required to demonstrate the ability to prepare and give elaborate warning and
operations orders, mission rehearsals and provide patrol leadership during the planning,
movement and actions at the objective phases. If that was not clearly demonstrated, a
Recondo Brand was not awarded. The course was conducted at Fort Campbell,
Kentucky during the winter months. The 101st Recondo cadre conducted other training
during the year, including instruction of the one week West Point Recondo course
conducted during the summer. A primary objective of the 101st Recondo School was to
prepare persons for the Ranger course and the majority of the Ranger school quotas
given to the 101st Airborne Division were to enlisted personnel that had graduated from
the 101st Recondo School and demonstrated a commitment to bring back the honor
graduate trophy of each Ranger class. Some of the 101st Recondo training schedules
and lesson plans have survived and warrant archiving.