Assessment and Selection takes place in the mountains of West Virginia and last for about a month. The cadre before me that tried out and left for assignments with Delta all went in pairs. I packed up my gear and configured my head light contraption in the dark, just like I had practiced at home so many times. Scores of other misfits went adrift. He made it to the end and was non select because of the run at the end. I sat in back where I could watch my crowd. Despite the rules, I approached him and asked him how he was doing. Finally, he shot a long, slow blast of tar and nicotine from his mouth and said in his best Marlin-Brando-from-the- Godfather-voice, I thinkits about time I explain to you who I am. I held a single pray tell finger to my lips and waited. He seemed to be coping with the phases of the training well enough. Theres been speculation that some soldiers are also considered from other special operations units of the U.S. Military, such as Marine Force Recon, Air Force Pararescue (PJs), and even Air Force Combat Controllers. The Delta Force training wing at Fort Bragg is thought to run selection twice a year, around spring and fall. He reported his findings to the U.S. Military after serving with the British Special Air Service during the Malayan Emergency. His reply was that he had just been there the previous month and washed out (failed), and he had seen there was an empty bunk with my name on it. A Delta Force candidate during the Stress Phase of Assessment and Selection. For my part, I did enjoy dropping a call to the little woman to tell her all was just peachy keen-o here in the land of steep mud, snow, and fallen timberand oh, by the way, guess who I ran into out here? Surviving Delta Force Selection and Assessment: Part 1 At the end of the day, it all came off, went into the trash, and the same procedure was followed the next day. I took to the highest structure that I knew of to trainthe bachelor officers quarters (BOQ) building across the tarmac from our campus. I had spoiled his scenario. As we drew down to the last day before the final stress phase, where we would not be returning to the barracks at the end of our days, I discovered that my flashlight primary was no longer working, and my backup was mysteriously missing. Some applied as/when needed; some applied generously in a more prophylactic approach. It had all but stopped raining as daybreak took charge of night. It was a towering 12 stories high, and I commenced climbing up and down the outside fire escape 10 times with a 50 lb. Read Next: How the Army Uses the West Virginia Wilderness to Find Out Who Has What It Takes to Join Delta Force. Candidates must be eligible for a security clearance level of Secret. Delta Force is responsible for introducing weapons like: In terms of operational equipment, little surprise that Delta Force also knows how to use and regularly operates some of the U.S. Militarys most advanced and sophisticated machinery. Surviving Delta Force Selection and Assessment (Pt. We stopped once halfway through transit to eat at a Bobs Big Boy. I made it to the top of Mozark. That was about a 20 mile round trip, and I always wore combat boots on those rides. On the last day of the physical assessment phase of the course, we would stagger-start our long, final 40-mile trek. I won a chuckle and a dismissal as the crazy gringo. The logical solution was to get a headlamp. As I strained for the next three hours through the rain, rocks, and timber, my path stayed well illuminated the entire time. For instance, there was the guy from the Army band; I guess all the marching and flute playing got him in shape for the 30 days of humping through West Virginia. I had a genius inform me that the most state-of-the-art compass was entirely unnecessary, as the key to navigation in the mountains of West Virginia was an altimeter!

John Lehman Marietta, Ohio, James Paul Spann, Brookwood School Alumni, Articles S