--- title: "The founder of Delta Force was almost impossible to kill" description: "Before he was the founder of Delta Force, commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant, Charles Beckwith served a few years on the Korean Peninsula." date: "2021-12-01" modified: "2023-02-09" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/the-founder-of-delta-force-was-almost-impossible-to-kill/" categories: - "Army" - "History" - "Special Operations" - "Tactical" - "War History" tags: - "Army" - "Famous Veterans" - "Special Operations" --- # The founder of Delta Force was almost impossible to kill ![]() In 1952, the Green Bay Packers drafted "Chargin' Charlie" Beckwith from the University of Georgia. But seeing as how the Korean War was already in its second year, Chargin' Charlie declined the offer for a different green uniform. Before he was the founder of Delta Force or commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant, Charles Beckwith served a few years on the Korean Peninsula, in war and later peacetime. It was after Korea that he joined the 82nd Airborne, and later, U.S. Army Special Forces. ![founder of Delta Force charles beckwith]() *Col. Charles Beckwith, toward the end of his career.* Beckwith's first mission was to train the Royal Lao Army in 1960, but his mission to deploy with British SAS to Malaysia as they fought a Communist insurgency is one that forever changed military history. It was there that Beckwith came down with a mean case of Leptospirosis — a bacterial infection that causes kidney failure and pulmonary hemorrhaging. Doctors did not expect Beckwith to survive. In fact, they called it [one of the three worst cases they'd ever seen](). Beckwith was given three weeks to live — and he did. ![British SAS]() *The British SAS patrol during the Malayan insurgency.* He survived the infection, and his time with the Special Air Service inspired him to develop the American Army's version of such an elite unit. In 1963, he formed the specialty unit, code-named Project Delta, personally selecting the men best suited to conduct long-range reconnaissance operations in Vietnam. But his time in Delta — and on Earth — was nearly cut short in Vietnam in 1966. Beckwith was shot in his abdomen with a .50-caliber round. He was taped up, but essentially left for dead. But death still didn't come. ![MACV SOG]() *A MACV Special Operations group in Vietnam circa 1969.* Beckwith not only recovered, but he also continued with his military career, fighting in a series of battles from the Tet Offensive in 1968 until the end of the war in 1973. It was in the mid-1970s that Beckwith's elite unit idea finally became a full reality. He was given the authority and formed the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment - Delta in 1977. The new elite unit focused on anti-terror and hostage recovery ops, based on the model of the British SAS. Unfortunately for Beckwith and Delta, their first mission was Operation Eagle Claw, the doomed hostage rescue of Americans held in Iran. After the catastrophic failure of Eagle Claw, Beckwith retired from the Army. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()