Undergoing Delta Force assessment at Camp Dawson, West Virginia

As far as Delta Force goes, it all begins with specialized training and assessment at Camp Dawson, West (by God) Virginia. Camp Dawson was originally a facility built for the West Virginia National Guard. A sector was subsequently portioned for Delta’s Selection and Assessment (S&A) course that runs several times a year.

When I was to attend the course, the military orders I received had me flying to Morgantown, WV; the airport there was roughly 100 miles from Camp Dawson.

At the airport terminal, there were a number of men who looked just like me, dressed in sensible rough apparel and wandering lost. The Delta representative had an easy time of rounding us all up for the shuttle to Dawson. I was approached by a Delta man who asked me:

“Sir, are you here for specialized training at Camp Dawson?”

I thought my orders read that Morgantown was my final destination, so I was confused by the man’s question. I made a trip to the bathroom to have another gander at my orders and, sure enough, they did in, fact, state that Camp Dawson was my final destination. I had to sheepishly approach the Delta man and state words to the effect:

“Yes Sir, so it turns out that I actually am here for specialized training at Camp Dawson.”

The man was not impressed with my lack of certainly.

“Well… are you sure?”

“Yes, yes Sir… I’m certain.”

The representative was clearly unimpressed with my comportment. I would survive.

Finally, he herded us into vans for the two-hour drive to Camp Dawson for the training and assessment course.

The days at Dawson were filled with periods of instruction and plenty of time hauling heavy rucksacks across the mountains of West Virginia.

The course lasted four weeks. Its first three weeks were designed to build us up physically and mentally for the final week that included endless marches with heavy loads and with no idea how far one was to hike.

Even on my last day of the test week I walked for some 18 hours with no rest, one break to relieve myself, and numerous pauses to conduct countless map checks for location. I pissed while on the march, not caring if I dribbled on my boots or pant legs; in my mind it was all about maximum travel time.

Well into the night of the last march I was in the midst of having an out-of-body experience. I was asleep on my feet and still on the march; I imagined a dark figure stepping out onto the trail in front of me. The figure stated:

“Congratulations, SFC Hand, you have just completed the stress phase of the Selection and Assessment course.” This was followed by some succinct instructions that lead me to a large camp fire with several candidates sitting quietly sipping a hot beverage around the fire.

Related: Accounts of daily life with the Delta Force through 18 months of global training

Even as amazingly tired as I was, my mind still stood ready to accept and process more instructions, should they were to come. But the only orders we received were to board a van that drove us some 40 miles back to our beds in Camp Dawson. I lay in my bunk listening to the snores of dead-tired men and thought I must be the luckiest person alive to have survived such an ordeal that was the stress phase of Selection.

A body of over 200 crack troops had dwindled down to just 21 men who qualified to begin the very basics of training for the Delta Force. That training lasted the next six months.

Time would fly, but with one broken wing.

By Almighty God and with honor,
geo sends

Feature Image: A Delta Force candidate receiving “specialized training” in West Virginia. (Photo courtesy of author)

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