Charlie Beckwith arrived at Project Delta in July 1965 and transformed the unit through sheer force of will. He pushed for more aggressive operations, expanded the recon capability, and demanded the kind of combat excellence that would later define his creation of Delta Force.
Beckwith's tenure was marked by increasing operational tempo and growing confidence in the small-team reconnaissance concept. Delta proved itself invaluable to division and corps commanders who had no other means of gathering intelligence deep inside enemy-controlled territory.
It ended in the An Lao Valley. Operation 2-66, conducted in support of the 1st Cavalry Division's Operation MASHER in January 1966, became one of Delta's worst disasters. Multiple recon teams were compromised in rapid succession. Several men were killed or went missing. Beckwith himself was seriously wounded when his C&C helicopter took fire. He was evacuated and never returned to Delta. Years later, he would draw directly on his Project Delta experience to create the Army's 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, better known as Delta Force.
Under Beckwith's command, Delta conducted multiple operations through the second half of 1965, building the operational tempo and refining the recon team insertion and extraction procedures. Specific operation numbers and details require the B-52 AARs at NARA.
The 1st Cavalry Division requested Project Delta reconnaissance in the An Lao Valley during Operation MASHER. B-52 landed at Bong Son and inserted recon teams the very next evening despite marginal weather. Over the following days, the teams ran into tough VC units on their own terrain.
The operation spiraled into a catastrophe. Multiple teams were compromised. Several Special Forces soldiers were killed across multiple engagements. Beckwith was wounded in a C&C helicopter. The unit would later record this as one of their worst disasters of the war.
The An Lao Valley broke Delta, but it also forced the complete overhaul that would ultimately make the unit what Jim Morris called 'as close to perfection as anything in war ever is.'
| Name | Date | Details |
|---|---|---|
| SSG Jesse L. Hancock | January 29, 1966 | An Lao Valley, Op 2-66. Panel 4E. |
| SFC George A. Hoagland | January 29, 1966 | An Lao Valley, Op 2-66. Panel 4E. |
| MSG Cecil J. Hodgson | January 29, 1966 | An Lao Valley, Op 2-66. MIA. Panel 4E. |
| MSG Charles V. Newton | January 29, 1966 | An Lao Valley, Op 2-66. Panel 4E. |
| SSG Ronald T. Terry | January 29, 1966 | An Lao Valley, Op 2-66. KIA/BNR. Panel 4E. |
| SSG Frank N. Badolati | January 29, 1966 | An Lao Valley, Op 2-66. KIA/BNR. Panel 4E, Line 105. |
B-52 Personnel Database, compiled by Sherman (specialforcesbooks.com/B52.htm).
281st AHC I Corps Operations History, compiled by Bob Mitchell for the VHPA from official B-52 and 281st After Action Reports.
Jim Morris, "Project Delta" series, Special Forces Chapter 78 Sentinel.
VVMF Wall of Faces (vvmf.org).
USASOC, "USASOC honors clandestine SF unit from Vietnam War," army.mil, Oct 28, 2008.
Complete B-52 After Action Reports are declassified and held at NARA College Park, MD (Record Group 472).