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Surviving Delta Force Selection and Assessment (Pt. 1)

Surviving Delta Force Selection and Assessment (Pt. 1)

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I was stationed in Key West, Florida, at the U.S. Army Special Forces Combat Diver Academy as a SCUBA instructor. I had intentionally sought out that assignment to avoid a mandatory levy into the Special Warfare Center (SWC)—duty that all Green Berets inevitably faced in their careers at some point. Rather than get stuck in some miserable assignment, I went proactively after an assignment with the deeply revered academy.

After three years in Key West, and facing a deteriorating relationship with the company commander, I resolved to engage in a train-up regimen and requested to try out for the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta, the “Delta Force,” “The Ranch,” “The Farm,” “Behind the Fence,” or, as we jokingly referred to it in A Squadron, “The After-Charlie Force” or the “Before-Echo Force”—avoiding the secret letter Delta and opting for its left and right neighbors in the alphabet, Charlie and Echo.

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  • William P

    George
    Great article….. I’m about to do a spartan race and reading this article I’m going to use your climbing the stairs workout with a 50lb pack
    (but not 20x) Do you have and more nuggets you could send my way???
    Thanks BP

  • Jerry Sullivan

    EmmyLou Harris sings plaintively of the green rolling hills of West Virginia…well, that’s because she has never traversed them on foot while wearing leather soled combat boots and being assaulted by a rucksack. The closer one gets to the Appalachian Plateau the more difficult it becomes. I think my grandpa on my mothers side did us all a favor when he managed to cross the mighty Ohio River, northward into the hills of Southern Ohio, very early in the 20th century. My pal Eric tells me that other than on a few occasions while being engaged by automatic weapons or on burning LZs, this phase of selection and assessment was some of his most demanding and difficult time in the unit. This is one of the very first articles I read off the SOFREP website, perhaps a year ago, and it is just as good second time around! Great story….

  • EternalChampion

    Great read. Captures the essence of a train-up quite well. Now the part about the wife’s ex is almost too much to believe, but still hilarious.

  • Guy S

    Well written, can’t wait for part two. Planning a Boarder to boarder walk in the park (Glacier to Yellowstone next summer. You are welcome.

  • Christopher T

    Far and away, you write the most enjoyable and entertaining articles on SOFREP.