“Be all that you can be…” adopted by the US Army’s recruiting division, best describes their philosophy and pride in training. Take this phrase and multiply it by infinity and you will still have no idea as to the extent of the philosophies of their Special Operations Unit called Delta Force. Organized in 1977, the Delta Force division has proven itself time and again to be a great asset during hostage crisis situations. As few as one in 100 highly gifted soldiers will ever have the honor to wear the Delta Force insignia; they are the chosen ones who have proven to have the ultimate in willpower, intelligence, and strength. But what really makes a Delta Force member so extreme?
Be More Than You Can Be
Before you can even be invited to train for the Delta Force, there is a month long selection phase that involves both physical and psychological tests. The most infamous is their 18 mile long speed-march drill. You must consider that these soldiers are never told what is expected of them; they must decide on their own. When they set out on such a march, it is up to them to decide the level of expectations that must be met. 18 miles in less than three hours is a good estimate to what is minimally expected for each soldier who will move past this initial selection phase.
The survivors are then taken out to one of several secure locations that have been designated for the second phase of training. North Carolina, West Virginia, or Nevada is where a 40 mile land/navigation exercise initiates. Each soldier is issued a standard 55-pound rucksack strapped to their back. They are given a checkpoint to reach using a map and told to get there as fast as possible. When they achieve their goal they are quickly de-briefed and sent out to find a new checkpoint; these drills often last up to 16 hours and/or 40 miles.
After enduring these land/navigation exercises and passing them with flying colors they are expected to also pass a grueling four hour interview by a panel of Delta Veterans. The questions range from military to personal and are guided to find the type of character each soldier possesses, what decisions they are capable of making on their own, their willpower, mental stability, and overall communication skills.
At this point, an average of 10 out of 100 will graduate and move on to Fort Bragg for five months of training, where they will encounter such simulations as Smoke Bomb Hill, The Killing House, and the destruction of many, many doors. A delta force soldier must know how to take down a door in a split second using any number of tactics; lock-picking, bypassing through window, shooting, kicking, or blowing it off its hinges.
Once inside, the Delta Force soldiers must work as a team and identify the target and the hostages. Their goal is to quickly and accurately disperse of the enemy using their “double tap” method of shooting; hitting each target twice in the head to ensure that they will not be getting back up. The team must recognize the innocent and keep them unharmed throughout these few precious seconds of engagement. Habits of typical slow shooting must be broken and exchanged with lightning fast split decisions and accurate double tapped enemy annihilation. Live ammunition is always used in these training drills to boost authenticity.
There is very little emphasis on negotiations once the Delta Force enters a building, as their goal is to simply have it secured within a matter of seconds. In light of this, they will spend almost zero time learning this military tactic. Their motto is, “double tap” first and ask questions later. And since they never leave an enemy left standing or breathing for that matter; negotiations are unheard of once a situation has escalated to Delta Force proportions.
The next question is: Are you just a man, a Delta Force man, or Chuck “God Damn” Norris?
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About Dr. Eric J. Leech
Eric has written for over a decade. Then one day he created Urbasm.com, a site for every guy.
About Dr. Eric J. Leech