The Man Obsessed With Creating the Best Killers in the World

Long before Delta Force became one of the most feared special operations units in the world, one Green Beret spent more than a decade fighting the U.S. Army just to convince it that such a unit needed to exist. Captain Charles “Charlie” Beckwith first encountered the British SAS during an exchange program in 1962, where its brutal selection process, unconventional discipline, and focus on elite direct-action missions convinced him that America needed its own equivalent. His proposal was repeatedly rejected, but Beckwith refused to abandon the idea. In Vietnam, he transformed Project DELTA into a hardened reconnaissance force, fought through the brutal siege of Plei Me, survived a .50-caliber round that nearly killed him, and earned the nickname “Chargin’ Charlie” for his aggressive leadership. Finally, in 1977, after 13 years of resistance, the Army approved the creation of the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta—Delta Force—with Beckwith as its founding commander. But his greatest triumph would soon become his greatest failure when Delta's first major mission, Operation Eagle Claw, collapsed in the Iranian desert and left eight American servicemen dead. Yet even that disaster transformed U.S. special operations, helping drive the creation of permanent organizations and specialized aviation capabilities designed to prevent the same mistakes from happening again. This is the remarkable story of Charles Beckwith, the stubborn Green Beret who brought the lessons of the SAS home and helped build the unit that would redefine American special operations. - As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Docs sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect. I do my best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Docs is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas. -