Background

Charles Alvin Beckwith was born on January 22, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. He was the son of Elza Dozier and Clara Eugenia Beckwith. He had a brother and a sister.

Education

Charles Alvin Beckwith was educated at Brown High School. At Brown High, he was a football teammate of Pepper Rodgers. Beckwith attended the University of Georgia and also played football there.

Career

Charles Alvin Beckwith was drafted by the GreenBay Packers; however, he turned down their offer to serve in the United States Army and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1952. In 1958, Beckwith volunteered for Special Forces and was assigned to the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In 1960, then-Captain Beckwith deployed to Laos for two years on Operation Hotfoot, with the White Star organization. The covert White Star teams operated against the Pathet Lao and harassed the North Vietnamese on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. In 1962, Beckwith was sent from 7th SFG(A) as the exchange officer to the British 22nd Special Air Service, where he commanded 3 Troop, A Squadron. It was during this tour, which included the conduct of counterinsurgency operations in Malaya with the British Special Air Service, that Beckwith conceived, forged and developed his concept for a Special Air Service type unit in the United States.

Returning to 7th SFG(A) in 1963, Captain Beckwith was selected to serve as a battalion and then the group operations officer. In 1965, Beckwith volunteered to return to Vietnam, where he was hand-picked to command the high-priority Special Forces unit code-named Project Delta (Operational Detachment B-52). He used his experience with the 22 SAS to test and select the right men to conduct long-range reconnaissance inSouth Vietnam. Following his promotion to major, Beckwith led B-52 in the rescue of the besieged Special Forces camp at Plei Me, under the most arduous combat conditions.

He was critically wounded in early 1966. His wounds were so bad that medical personnel initially triaged him as beyond help. Recovering completely, he took over the Florida Phase of the United States Army’s Ranger School, transforming it from a scripted exercise based upon the Army’s World War II experience into a Vietnam-oriented training regiment.

He returned to Vietnam as the battalion commander of the 101st Airborne Division. Following Vietnam, Beckwith observed Britain’s Special Air Service Regiment and lobbied the United States Army to initiate a similar program, which became Delta Force. After his retirement in 1981, following the hostage rescue mission, Beckwith formed a corporate security company, Security Assistance Services, in Texas that focused on sabotage and anti-terrorist measures.

Achievements

• Charles Alvin Beckwith is best remembered as the founder of the secretive special operations unit known as Delta Force. He also is known for being the on-ground commander of Operation Eagle Claw. For his service, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, etc. On August 9, 2012, he was inducted as a Distinguished Member of the Special Forces Regiment.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Delta Force: The U.S. Counter-Terrorist Unit and The Iran Hostage Rescue Mission 1983

Views

Quotations: "You cannot take a few people from one unit, throw them in with some from another, give them someone else's equipment, and hope to come up with a top-notch fighting unit."

Membership

Charles Alvin Beckwith was a member of the Delta Chapter of the Sigma Chi.

Connections

Charles Alvin Beckwith was married to Katherine Beckwith. They had three daughters: Charlotte (called "Charlie"), Connie, and Peggy.

Father:

Elza Dozier Beckwith

Mother:

Clara Eugenia Beckwith

Spouse:

Katherine Beckwith

Brother:

Lamar Raymond Beckwith

Sister:

Elzine Claire Love

Daughter:

Charlotte Beckwith

Daughter:

Connie Howe

Daughter:

Peggy Beckwith

References

• Contemporary Authors
  2011