Hand-Picked for Delta Force: The EOD Operator Who Changed the Unit

About this video

A former EOD operator recounts his path to becoming one of the founding members of Delta Force. He describes his EOD service in Vietnam (380 missions in 11 months), a tragic incident in 1975 where his team leader was killed by an IED during a Secret Service protection mission, and his unusual recruitment to Delta Force in 1976. Unlike typical candidates, he and four other EOD technicians were placed directly into the Operator Training Course before completing Selection and Assessment, with only a few ultimately making it through both courses.

Key takeaways

• The guest describes conducting 380 EOD missions during 11 months in Vietnam, including being accidentally left behind at a special forces camp after the infantry unit evacuated.
• The guest recounts a 1975 incident in Quincy, Illinois where his team leader, Sergeant Major Ken Foster, was killed by an anti-disturbance IED while protecting Senator Bob Dole during the 1976 election cycle.
• The guest explains that Colonel Beckwith hand-picked six EOD operators for Delta Force’s founding, allowing them to attend Operator Training Course before Selection and Assessment—a reversed sequence unique to this group.
• The guest states that Delta’s Selection and Assessment process was modeled directly on British 22 SAS methods and remains unchanged, focusing on individual motivation rather than harassment, with candidates navigating terrain alone with heavy rucksacks.

Episode details: published February 5, 2026 · 16.6K views · 28:01 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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