This documentary showcases the US Army RECONDO (Reconnaissance Commando) school. This was a 4th Infantry Division hosted at Fort Carson, Colorado’s Camp Red Devil during the late 1960s and early 70s. Other posts had similar programs based on the course taught in Vietnam to prepare Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol members for their mission.
No stateside Recondo, nor any training school for that matter, will ever compare to the MAC-V Recondo School run by 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam. Graduation patrols were run in the bush and could include firefights with a real live enemy utilizing the skills you were taught during the school.
You’re right Walt, but it just didn’t make sense to send guys TDY to Vietnam to attend a school.
Interesting further reading on LRRP development.
https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Portals/7/combat-studies-institute/csi-books/gebhardt_LRRP.pdf
Thanks for this.
We used to send troops to a RECONDO school in the USA till the early 80’s from Canada. Mainly from the Airborne Regt.
My unit patch wat the shape of the RECONDO patch. Also, I had to go thru a “recon school”
Q,
When was the Ranger school stood up? The mid 60’s, I think??… People say that Ranger School is a leadership school versus a technical school.
I noticed that the RECONDO School NCO had a Ranger tab. I wonder if he was a veteran of the Ranger companies in Korea or a graduate of Ranger School or both??
Sr Army ROTC used to have a RECONDO badge and program but I’m not sure of the status these days.
I’ve read that the RECONDO School in Vietnam was a stop gap measure to address the Army’s unpreparedness for combat. Recently, the Army did away with ALL the LRRP Companies Army wide. Are we heading down this well worn path to unpreparedness again?? I wonder….
Ranger training began in 1950. The first Ranger School class was in 1952.
Thanks for posting!