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Charles Alvin Beckwith

Ah, another historical footnote you wish to excavate. Very well. Don't expect me to break out the party hats. This is about a man who apparently thought the world needed more highly trained individuals with questionable life choices.

Charles Alvin Beckwith (1929–1994)

Nickname: "Chargin' Charlie"

Born: 22 January 1929, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Died: 13 June 1994 (aged 65), Austin, Texas, U.S. Buried: Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery

Allegiance: United States Branch: United States Army Years of service: 1952–1981 Rank: Colonel

Commands:

Battles/Wars:

Awards:

Alma mater: University of Georgia Relations: Paul R. Howe (son-in-law) Other work: Security consultant

Charles Alvin Beckwith, a man who apparently collected commendations like some people collect stamps, was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 22, 1929. He was a career United States Army Special Forces officer, a title that suggests a certain level of competence, or at least a willingness to be dropped into unpleasant situations. His most notable, and perhaps most infamous, achievement was the creation of Delta Force, the United States Army's premier unit for counterterrorism and asymmetric warfare. This wasn't a sudden whim; it was apparently forged in the crucible of his experiences, particularly his time with the British Special Air Service. He saw action in conflicts that read like a geopolitical who's who of the mid-20th century, including the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation and the Vietnam War, eventually climbing the ranks to colonel before hanging up his boots.

Early life and education

Born into a Baptist household in Atlanta, Georgia, Beckwith's parents were Elza Dozier Beckwith and Clara Eugenia Beckwith. Before he was even contemplating military prowess, he was apparently a formidable force on the football field, earning all-state honors for his high school team. This athletic inclination carried him to the University of Georgia, where he juggled academics with his membership in the Sigma Chi fraternity and the ROTC program. His athletic prowess on the Bulldogs football team was such that the Green Bay Packers apparently considered him for the 1950–51 NFL draft. He, however, opted for a different kind of field, choosing a military career and receiving his commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army in 1952. A choice that, one assumes, led to more paperwork and less cheering.

Career

Following the rather grim conclusion of the Korean War (1950–1953), then-Second Lieutenant Beckwith found himself leading a platoon with Charlie Company of the 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division in South Korea. The post-war landscape, it seems, wasn't quite enough for him. By 1955, he was with the 82nd Airborne Division, commanding the combat support company for the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. This suggests a man who enjoyed heights, or at least the idea of descending rapidly from them.

His trajectory continued upward, or perhaps more accurately, into more specialized circles. After completing the rigorous Ranger School in 1958, Beckwith joined the Special Forces, landing a spot in the 7th Special Forces Group. His international experience began in earnest in 1960 when, as a Captain, he was dispatched to Laos for a two-year stint on Operation Hotfoot. This was likely not a sightseeing tour.

The real seasoning, however, came in 1962 when Beckwith was sent as an exchange officer to the elite British 22 Special Air Service Regiment (SAS). He commanded 3 Troop, A Squadron, and, rather impressively, participated in actual combat operations during the Malayan Emergency. It was during this period that he contracted a severe case of leptospirosis, a tropical disease that, according to the records, doctors didn't expect him to survive. Naturally, he recovered. Apparently, the universe had other plans for him, plans that involved more dangerous endeavors.

Upon his return to the U.S., Beckwith, with the characteristic directness of someone who's seen things, presented a report detailing the U.S. Army’s deficiency in not possessing a unit akin to the SAS. His proposals, however, met with the predictable bureaucratic inertia. Special Forces leadership, it seems, was content with their existing structure and saw no need to complicate matters with a new, high-risk unit. Beckwith, however, was not one to be easily deterred.

While his grand unit concept languished, Beckwith, as operations officer for the 7th SFG(A), began to fundamentally reshape Green Beret training. At the time, the focus was heavily on unconventional warfare and foreign internal defense – essentially, training local forces to resist. Beckwith, drawing from his own conventional command experience, found this approach lacking. He famously stated, "Before a Special Forces Green Beret soldier could become a good un conventional soldier, he'd first have to be a good conventional one... Because I had commanded rifle and weapons companies, I was appalled on arriving in Special Forces to find officers who had never commanded conventional units." His restructuring of the 7th SFG(A)'s training was so thorough it essentially rewrote the manual on Army special operations training, incorporating hard-won lessons from his time with the SAS. He also recognized the psychological importance of earned symbols of excellence, like the beret. Officers were being assigned to Special Forces with little to no prior special operations experience, handed their Green Berets upon arrival. Beckwith instituted the demanding, practical training standards that would eventually pave the way for the modern Q-Course.

In 1965, Beckwith volunteered for Vietnam, a decision that led him to command Project Delta (Operational Detachment B-52), a high-priority special forces unit. He leveraged his SAS experience to meticulously test and select men for perilous long-range reconnaissance missions deep in South Vietnam. Following his promotion to Major, he led B-52 in the defense of the Special Forces camp during the Siege of Plei Me. His leadership style, described as iron-fisted, even drew the attention of President Lyndon B. Johnson, who reportedly requested to speak with him directly via radio to offer congratulations. The unflinching discipline he imposed was notably detailed by CBS News journalist John Laurence in his book, "The Cat from Hué."

Early in 1966, Beckwith was critically wounded. A .50 caliber bullet ripped through his abdomen, a wound so severe that medical personnel, for the second time in his career, classified him as beyond help. And, again, Beckwith defied the odds, making a full recovery. His next assignment involved overhauling the Florida Phase of the U.S. Army Ranger School. He transformed this segment from a dated exercise based on World War II tactics into a relevant, Vietnam-oriented jungle training regimen.

By 1968, in the aftermath of the Tet Offensive, then-Lieutenant Colonel Beckwith returned to South Vietnam. He assumed command of the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry (Airborne), part of the 101st Airborne Division. For the nine months he led the "No Slack" battalion, they achieved significant combat successes in operations such as Mingo, Jeb Stuart, Nevada Eagle (which cleared the Huế-Phu Bai area), and Somerset Plain (a sweep through the southern A Shau Valley). Their most challenging task was clearing a seven-kilometer stretch of Route 547, west of Huế, where they encountered determined NVA defenders, ultimately paving the way for the establishment of Fire Support Base Bastogne.

From 1973 to 1974, Beckwith served as commander of Control Team "B" with the Joint Casualty Resolution Center (JCRC) at RTAFB Nakhon Phanom in Thailand. Under the command of Brigadier General Robert C. Kingston, the JCRC’s mission was to assist the Secretaries of the Armed Services in resolving the fates of servicemen missing and unaccounted for from the conflicts in Indochina. The JCRC was primarily operational, engaged in field searches, excavations, recoveries, and repatriations. After his promotion to colonel, Beckwith returned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina in 1975, taking on the role of Commandant of the U.S. Army Special Warfare School.

Delta Force

Despite having proposed the concept of a highly elite, autonomous direct-action unit throughout the 1960s, Beckwith's idea had remained on the back burner for a decade. It wasn't until the mid-1970s, as the specter of international terrorism loomed larger, that Beckwith was finally given the green light to form his unit. During this formative period, the responsibility for counter-terrorism fell to the special forces community. The 5th Special Forces Group established an interim counter-terrorism unit, Blue Light, to bridge the gap until Delta was ready.

1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta was officially established on November 17, 1977, by Beckwith and Colonel Thomas M. Henry. It was conceived as a counterterrorism unit, drawing heavily on the model of the British Special Air Service, but with an expanded emphasis on hostage rescue, in addition to its covert operations and specialized reconnaissance capabilities.

Beckwith himself led Delta Force's inaugural mission: Operation Eagle Claw, an attempt to rescue American hostages from the captured embassy in Tehran, Iran in early 1980. The mission, however, ended in disaster. It was aborted due to a combination of helicopter malfunctions during a severe sandstorm and a subsequent crash that resulted in the deaths of several personnel. The "debacle in the desert," as it became known, spurred the creation of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment to provide dedicated aviation support for Delta Force and other special operations units. The Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) was also established, largely in response to Beckwith's recommendations during the Senate investigations into the mission's failure. It seems even failures can lead to something functional, albeit at a steep cost.

Personal life

Beckwith was married to Katherine Beckwith, and together they had three daughters. His daughter, Constance "Connie" Howe, followed in his military footsteps, serving as a Major in the United States Army Reserve. She is married to Delta Force Master Sergeant Paul R. Howe, who notably fought in the intense Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. The military legacy continued with his granddaughter, United States Air Force Technical Sergeant Mary Howe (now Daniell), an aerial gunner with the 4th Special Operations Squadron, and the daughter of Paul R. Howe. Another daughter, Margaret, married Mike Kazmierski, a West Point graduate. She served as an army captain in the Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG), and their son, Zackery Aaron Kazmierski, graduated from West Point in 2017. It seems the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, or perhaps the tree itself was planted in a minefield.

Later life and death

Deeply disappointed by the failure of the Iranian operation, Beckwith retired from the Army. He channeled his expertise into a consulting firm and, perhaps more tellingly, penned a book detailing his experiences with Delta Force. In 1994, he passed away at his home due to natural causes. It’s often the quiet exits that are the most telling.

Colonel Charles Beckwith's remains are interred at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas. A fitting resting place for a man who spent his life navigating the razor's edge.

Awards and decorations

Beckwith’s extensive list of accolades paints a picture of a highly decorated, if perhaps perpetually dissatisfied, soldier. His awards include:

Badges:

Medals and Decorations:

Specialized Badges:

Tabs:

Unit Awards:

Other Decorations:

It appears the man collected enough hardware to outfit a small army. One wonders if he ever actually wore them all at once, or if that would have violated some unspoken dress code of perpetual dissatisfaction.