View source for Charles Alvin Beckwith

{{Short description|U.S. Army Special Forces officer (1929–1994)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox military person
| name          = Charles Alvin Beckwith
| image         = Charles_Beckwith.jpg
| image_size    = 
| alt           = 
| caption       = 
| nickname      = "Chargin' Charlie"
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1929|1|22|df=y}}
| birth_place   = [[Atlanta]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], U.S.
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|1994|6|13|1929|1|22|df=y}}
| death_place   = [[Austin, Texas]], U.S.
| placeofburial = [[Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery]]
| allegiance    = United States
| branch        = [[United States Army]]
| serviceyears  = 1952–1981
| rank          = [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]]
| servicenumber = 
| unit          = 
| commands      = {{Plainlist|
* [[1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta|Delta Force]]
* [[327th Infantry Regiment (United States)|2nd Battalion, 327th Airborne Infantry Regiment]]
* [[Project DELTA|Special Forces Detachment B-52 (Project DELTA)]]
}}
| battles       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Korean War]]
* [[Laotian Civil War]]
* [[Malayan Emergency]]
* [[Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation]]
* [[Vietnam War]]{{WIA}}
* [[Operation Eagle Claw]]
}}
| awards        = {{Plainlist|
* [[Distinguished Service Cross (United States)|Distinguished Service Cross]]
* [[Silver Star]] (2)
* [[Legion of Merit]] (3)
* [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]]
* [[Bronze Star Medal]] (4)
* [[Purple Heart]]
}}
| alma_mater    = [[University of Georgia]]
| relations     = [[Paul R. Howe]] (son-in-law)
| laterwork     = Security consultant
}}

'''Charles Alvin Beckwith''' (22 January 1929&nbsp;– 13 June 1994) was a career [[Special Forces (United States Army)|United States Army Special Forces]] officer best remembered for creating [[Delta Force]], the premier [[counter terrorism|counterterrorism]] and [[asymmetric warfare]] unit of the United States Army, based on his experience serving with the British [[Special Air Service]]. He served in the [[Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation]] and the [[Vietnam War]], and attained the rank of [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]] before his retirement.

==Early life and education==
Beckwith was born in [[Atlanta, Georgia]], on 22 January 1929, to [[Baptists|Baptist]] parents Elza Dozier Beckwith (1894–1940) and Clara Eugenia Beckwith ({{nee|Rey}}; 1895–1973). He was an all-state football player for his [[Henry W. Grady High School|high school]] team. He later enrolled in the [[University of Georgia]], where he was a member of the Delta chapter of the [[Sigma Chi]] fraternity, and [[Reserve Officers' Training Corps|ROTC]].

Beckwith lettered in football for the [[Georgia Bulldogs|Bulldogs]], and was approached by the [[Green Bay Packers]] for the [[1950 NFL Draft|1950–51 NFL draft]], but turned it down in favor of a military career. He was commissioned as a [[Second Lieutenant#United States|second lieutenant]] in the [[United States Army]] in 1952.<ref name="2012 induction">{{cite web|title=Distinguished member of the special forces regiment – Colonel Charles A. Beckwith|url=http://www.soc.mil/SWCS/RegimentalHonors/_pdf/sf_beckwith.pdf|website=United States Army Special Operations Command|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221090013/http://www.soc.mil/SWCS/RegimentalHonors/_pdf/sf_beckwith.pdf|archive-date=21 December 2016|date=13 December 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Career==
After the [[Korean War]] (1950–1953) was over, then-Second Lieutenant Beckwith served as a platoon leader with Charlie Company, 17th Infantry Regiment, [[7th Infantry Division (United States)|7th Infantry Division]] in South Korea. In 1955, Beckwith was assigned to the [[82nd Airborne Division]] as the commander of the combat support company of the [[504th Infantry Regiment (United States)|504th Parachute Infantry Regiment]].

In 1958, after completing [[Ranger School]], Beckwith joined the [[United States Army Special Forces|Special Forces]] and was assigned to the [[7th Special Forces Group (United States)|7th Special Forces Group]]. In 1960, then-[[Captain (United States)|Captain]] Beckwith deployed to [[Laos]] for two years on [[Project Hotfoot (Laos)|Operation Hotfoot]].<ref name="2012 induction" />

In 1962, Beckwith was sent as an [[exchange officer]] to the British [[22 Special Air Service Regiment]] (SAS) where he commanded 3 Troop, A Squadron.<ref name="2012 induction" /> He conducted war-time guerilla operations with the SAS during the [[Malayan Emergency]].<ref name="2012 induction" /> In the jungle, he contracted a case of [[leptospirosis]] so severe that doctors did not expect him to survive. However, he made a full recovery within months.{{sfn|Beckwith|Knox|Mobley|2000|p=36}}

Upon his return from England, Beckwith presented a detailed report outlining the Army's vulnerability in not having an SAS-type unit. For several years, Beckwith (who was still a Captain)  submitted and re-submitted the report to Army brass, only to be repeatedly thwarted in his efforts. Special Forces leadership at the time thought that they had enough on their hands and did not need the trouble of creating a new unit.{{sfn|Beckwith|Knox|Mobley|2000|p=48}}

Meanwhile, as the 7th SFG(A) operations officer, Beckwith went to work revolutionizing Green Beret training. Special Forces at the time focused on [[unconventional warfare (United States)|unconventional warfare]], and especially [[foreign internal defense]]: i.e. training indigenous personnel in resistance activities. But Beckwith recognized that, "Before a Special Forces Green Beret soldier could become a good ''un''conventional soldier, he'd first have to be a good conventional one... Because I had commanded rifle and weapons companies, I was appalled on arriving in Special Forces to find officers who had never commanded conventional units."{{sfn|Beckwith|Knox|Mobley|2000|p=52}} Beckwith restructured [[7th Special Forces Group (United States)|7th]]'s training, basically rewriting the book on Army [[special operations]] training from the real-world lessons he had learned with the [[Special Air Service|SAS]]. Beckwith also had learned that a symbol of excellence like a beret had to be earned. Officers were being assigned to Special Forces straight out of [[United States Army War College|war college]] with no prior special ops experience and were given their Green Beret on arrival. Beckwith instituted the hard-nosed and practical training standards that would lend themselves to the birth of the modern [[United States Army Special Forces selection and training|Q-Course]].

In 1965, Beckwith volunteered to return to Vietnam where he was selected to command a high-priority special forces unit [[Project DELTA|Project Delta]] (Operational Detachment B-52).<ref name="2012 induction" /> He used his SAS experience to test and select men for long-range reconnaissance operations in South Vietnam.<ref name="2012 induction" /> Following his promotion to Major, Beckwith led B-52 in the rescue of the besieged Special Forces camp at the [[Siege of Plei Me]],<ref name="2012 induction" /> during which President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] requested to speak to him directly over radio in order to congratulate and encourage him; his iron-fist disciplinarian style of running of the camp is described in detail in [[CBS News]] Journalist [[John Laurence]]'s book "[https://books.google.com/books?id=Em9uAAAAMAAJ The Cat from Hué]".

Beckwith was critically wounded in early 1966 (he took a .50 caliber bullet through his abdomen). It was so bad that medical personnel [[triage]]d him as beyond help for the second time in his military career.{{sfn|Beckwith|Knox|Mobley|2000|p=352}} This time, again, Beckwith made a full recovery and went on to overhaul the Florida Phase of the U.S. Army [[Ranger School]]. Beckwith transformed this phase from a scripted exercise based upon the Army's [[World War II]] experience, into a Vietnam-oriented jungle training regimen.<ref name="2012 induction" />

In 1968, following the [[Tet Offensive]], then-[[Lieutenant Colonel]] Beckwith returned to South Vietnam, taking command of the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry (Airborne), 1st Brigade, [[101st Airborne Division]].<ref name="2012 induction" /> For the nine months that he commanded the 2/327 (“No Slack”), they saw many successes in combat operations, including: [[Huế]], Operation Mingo, Operation Jeb Stuart, Operation Nevada Eagle (clearing the Huế-Phu Bai area), and Somerset Plain (sweeping the southern portion of the [[A Shau Valley]]).<ref name="2012 induction" /> The toughest job the battalion had was clearing a seven kilometer stretch along Route 547, running west of Huế, eventually defeating the determined [[Vietnam People's Army|NVA]] defenders so that [[Firebase Bastogne|Fire Support Base Bastogne]] could be established.

From 1973 to 1974, Beckwith served as commander, Control Team "B" with the [[Joint Casualty Resolution Center]] (JCRC) located at RTAFB Nakhon Phanom, Thailand.<ref name="2012 induction" />  Under the Command of [[Brigadier General (United States)|BG]] Robert C. Kingston, USA, JCRC's sole mission was to assist the Secretaries of the Armed Services to resolve the fate of servicemen still missing and unaccounted for as a result of the hostilities throughout Indochina.<ref name="2012 induction" /> JCRC had a predominantly operational role—the carrying out of field search, excavation, recovery, and repatriation activities. He was promoted to [[colonel]] and in 1975 returned to [[Fort Bragg, North Carolina]] as the Commandant of the U.S. Army Special Warfare School.<ref name="2012 induction" />

===Delta Force===
[[File:Charlie Beckwith.jpg|thumb|right|Charles Beckwith in 1980|240px]]
Although Beckwith had presented proposals throughout the 1960s for a superbly elite, highly autonomous [[Direct action (military)|direct-action]] unit, the idea had sat on the shelf for a decade. Finally, in the mid-'70s, as the threat of international terrorism became imminent, Beckwith was appointed to form his unit. During the time Beckwith was forming his unit, counter-terrorism duties fell to the [[United States Army Special Forces|special forces]] community. The [[5th Special Forces Group (United States)|5th Special Forces Group]] quickly formed the counter-terrorism unit [[Blue Light (counter-terrorist subunit)|Blue Light]] to fill in until Delta was fully operational.<ref>{{cite web|author=Ian D'Costa|title=This long-forgotten unit was the direct predecessor to Delta Force|url=https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/this-long-forgotten-unit-was-the-direct-predecessor-to-delta-force|website=wearethemighty.com|date=3 August 2020|access-date=19 October 2020|archive-date=22 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022053400/https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/this-long-forgotten-unit-was-the-direct-predecessor-to-delta-force|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Delta Force|1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta]] was then established on 17 November 1977, by Beckwith and Colonel Thomas M. Henry, as a [[counterterrorism]] unit based on the model of the British [[Special Air Service]], but with a greater focus on [[hostage]] rescue in addition to covert operations and specialized [[reconnaissance]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Goolsby|first1=Denise|title=Palm Springs man was Army Delta Force co-creator|url=http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2016/07/14/palm-springs-col-tom-henry-us-army-delta-force-army-rangers/86963120/|work=[[The Desert Sun]]|date=14 July 2016|access-date=18 July 2016|archive-date=20 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720024352/https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2016/07/14/palm-springs-col-tom-henry-us-army-delta-force-army-rangers/86963120/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Beckwith led Delta Force's first mission, [[Operation Eagle Claw]], the assault on the captured American embassy in [[Tehran, Iran]] early in 1980.  The mission was aborted due to helicopter failures during a [[sandstorm]] and a subsequent crash which led to several deaths.  After the 'debacle in the desert,' the [[160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (United States)|160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment]] was formed to provide aviation support to Delta Force and other special operations units. [[JSOC]] was also formed, directly based on Beckwith's recommendations during Senate investigations into the mission's failure.{{sfn|Beckwith|Knox|Mobley|2000}}<ref name="2012 induction" />

==Personal life==
Beckwith was married to Katherine Beckwith, and they had three daughters.<ref name="nytobit"/> One of his daughters, Constance "Connie" Howe, is a former [[United States Army Reserve]] major and married to Delta Force Master Sergeant [[Paul R. Howe]], who fought in the [[Battle of Mogadishu (1993)|Battle of Mogadishu]] in 1993.

His granddaughter, [[United States Air Force]] Technical Sergeant Mary Howe (now Daniell), is an aerial gunner of [[4th Special Operations Squadron]] and the daughter of Paul R. Howe.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Living a Legacy |url=https://www.hurlburt.af.mil/News/Photos/igphoto/2000032600/ |access-date=2024-12-29 |website=www.hurlburt.af.mil}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bryant |first=Paul |date=2013-07-11 |title=Woman continues Howes' military tradition |url=https://www.dailysentinel.com/woman-continues-howes-military-tradition/article_17064340-ea9a-11e2-acd8-0019bb2963f4.html |access-date=2024-12-29 |website=The Daily Sentinel |language=en}}</ref> A second daughter, Margaret, married Mike Kazmierski, a [[United States Military Academy|West Point]] graduate and she served as an army captain in the [[United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps|Judge Advocate Generals Corps (JAG)]] and her son Zackery Aaron Kazmierski graduated from West Point in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 27, 2016 |title=Obituary Katherine Beckwith Gates |url=https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/nacogdoches-tx/katherine-beckwith-7065117 |access-date=September 21, 2024 |website=Dignity Memorial}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Amanda Victoria Cruz and Zackery Aaron Kazmierski's Wedding Website |url=https://www.zola.com/wedding/zackery-amanda |access-date=2024-09-22 |website=www.zola.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Mike Kazmierski - Council for a Better Nevada |url=http://www.cbnonline.org/board-of-directors/mike-kazmierski |access-date=2024-09-22 |website=www.cbnonline.org |language=en}}</ref>

==Later life and death==
Following his disappointment at the failure of the [[Operation Eagle Claw|Iranian operation]], Beckwith retired from the Army. He started a consulting firm and wrote a book about Delta Force.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Beckwith |first1=Charlie A. |last2=Knox |first2=Donald |title=Delta Force |date=1983 |publisher=Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publishers |location=San Diego |isbn=0151246572 |edition=First}}</ref> In 1994, he died at his home of natural causes.<ref name="nytobit">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/14/obituaries/col-charlie-beckwith-65-dies-led-failed-rescue-effort-in-iran.html | work=The New York Times | title=Col. Charlie Beckwith, 65, Dies; Led Failed Rescue Effort in Iran | date=14 June 1994 | access-date=28 April 2010 | archive-date=9 June 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090609225205/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/14/obituaries/col-charlie-beckwith-65-dies-led-failed-rescue-effort-in-iran.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

Beckwith's remains are interred in the [[Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery]], [[San Antonio, Texas]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7-DgDAAAQBAJ&dq=Fort+Sam+Houston+National+Cemetery+charles+beckwith&pg=PA51 |title=''Resting Places'' |isbn=9780786479924 |access-date=22 June 2020 |archive-date=24 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124012053/https://books.google.ca/books?id=7-DgDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA51&lpg=PA51&dq=Fort+Sam+Houston+National+Cemetery+charles+beckwith&source=bl&ots=6VTEJFyr4M&sig=ACfU3U1sc2RhumG3XPFxjXNfWbSBBGb9Bw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwis2fyEw5bqAhXTUs0KHRPKAfYQ6AEwB3oECAwQAQ#v=onepage&q=Fort%20Sam%20Houston%20National%20Cemetery%20charles%20beckwith&f=false |url-status=live |last1=Wilson |first1=Scott |date=22 August 2016 |publisher=McFarland }}</ref>

==Awards and decorations==
Beckwith's awards include:<ref name="2012 induction" /><ref name=COLBeckwith>{{cite web|title=Beckwith, Charles Alvin, COL|url=https://army.togetherweserved.com/army/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=Person&ID=144248|website=army.togetherweserved.com|access-date=15 November 2020|archive-date=12 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112191648/https://army.togetherweserved.com/army/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=Person&ID=144248|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{col-begin|colwidth=auto}}
{{col-break}}

{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|colspan="12"|[[File:CIB2.svg|235px]]
|-
|colspan="6"|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Distinguished Service Cross ribbon.svg|width=106}}{{Ribbon devices|number=1|type=award-leaf|ribbon=Silver Star Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-leaf|name=Legion of Merit ribbon|width=106}}<span style="position:relative; top: 0px; left: -73px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">[[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|22px]]</span><span style="position:relative; top: 0px; left: -53px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">[[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|22px]]</span>
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Distinguished Flying Cross ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|ribbon=Bronze_Star_Medal_ribbon.svg|width=106}}<span style="position:relative; top: 0px; left: -93px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">[[File:"V" device, brass.svg|22px]]</span><span style="position:relative; top: 0px; left: -73px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">[[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|22px]]</span><span style="position:relative; top: 0px; left: -53px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">[[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|22px]]</span><span style="position:relative; top: 0px; left: -33px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">[[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|22px]]</span>
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-leaf|ribbon=Purple Heart ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|[[File:Meritorious Service Medal ribbon.svg|106px]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Air Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}<span style="position:relative; top: 0px; left: -73px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">[[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|22px]]</span><span style="position:relative; top: 0px; left: -53px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">[[File:Bronze oakleaf-3d.svg|22px]]</span>
|{{Ribbon devices|number=1|type=award-oak|ribbon=Army Commendation Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=National_Defense_Service_Medal_ribbon, 2nd award.svg|width=106}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Korean_Service_Medal_-_Ribbon.svg|width=106}}<span style="position:relative; top: 0px; left: -72px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">[[File:Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svg|18px]]</span><span style="position:relative; top: 0px; left: -54px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">[[File:Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svg|18px]]</span>
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Armed Forces Expedtionary Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}<span style="position:relative; top: 0px; left: -93px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">[[File:Arrowhead device.svg|24px]]</span><span style="position:relative; top: 0px; left: -73px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">[[File:Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svg|18px]]</span><span style="position:relative; top: 0px; left: -53px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">[[File:Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svg|18px]]</span><span style="position:relative; top: 0px; left: -33px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">[[File:Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svg|18px]]</span>
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Vietnam Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}<span style="position:relative; top: 0px; left: -54px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">[[File:Bronze-service-star-3d-vector.svg|18px]]</span><span style="position:relative; top: 0px; left: -72px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">[[File:Silver-service-star-3d.svg|18px]]</span>
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|ribbon=Army_Service_Ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=|type=award-star|other_device=|ribbon=Vietnam Gallantry Cross, with palm.svg|width=106}}
|-
|[[File:United Nations Service Medal Korea ribbon.svg|106px]]
|[[Image:Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal ribbon-First Class.svg|106px]]
|[[File:Vietnam Campaign Medal ribbon with 60- clasp.svg|106px]]
|[[File:Republic of Korea War Service Medal ribbon.svg|106px]]
|-
|colspan="4"|[[File:British Army SAS Parachute Badge with Wings.png|120px]]
|-
| colspan="4"|[[File:ViPaBa.jpg|150px]] [[File:US Army Airborne master parachutist badge.gif|120px]] 
|-
| colspan="4"|[[File:Einzelbild Special Forces (Special Forces Insignia).svg|125px]] [[File:Ranger Tab.svg|105px]]
|-
| colspan="6"|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|ribbon=U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force Presidential Unit Citation ribbon.svg|width=106}} {{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Valorous Unit Award ribbon.svg|width=106}} {{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Joint Meritorious Unit Award ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
| colspan="6"|[[File:Presidential Unit Citation Vietnam (Army sized).png|106px]] {{ribbon devices|number=|type=service-star|other_device=|ribbon=Gallantry_Cross_Unit_Citation.png|width=106}} [[File:Civil Action Unit Citation.png|106px]]
|}

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{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
!Badge
|colspan="12"|[[Combat Infantryman Badge]] <br />{{small|with Star (denoting 2nd award)}}
|-
!1st row
|colspan="4"|[[Distinguished Service Cross (United States)|Distinguished Service Cross]]
|colspan="4"|[[Silver Star]] <br />{{small|with 1 [[Oak leaf cluster]]}}
|colspan="4"|[[Legion of Merit]] <br />{{small|with 2 [[Oak leaf cluster]]s}}
|-
!2nd row
|colspan="3"|[[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]]
|colspan="3"|[[Bronze Star Medal|Bronze Star]] <br />{{small|with [["V" device]] and 3 [[Oak leaf cluster]]s}}
|colspan="3"|[[Purple Heart]]
|colspan="3"|[[Meritorious Service Medal (United States)|Meritorious Service Medal]]
|-
!3rd row
|colspan="3"|[[Air Medal]] <br />{{small|with 2 [[Oak leaf cluster]]s}}
|colspan="3"|[[Commendation Medal|Army Commendation Medal]] <br />{{small|with 1 [[Oak leaf cluster]]}}
|colspan="3"|[[National Defense Service Medal]] <br />{{small|with 1 [[Service star]]}}
|colspan="3"|[[Korean Service Medal]] <br />{{small|with 2 [[Campaign star]]s}}
|-
!4th row
|colspan="3"|[[Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal]] <br />{{small|with [[Arrowhead device]] and 3 [[Campaign star]]s}}
|colspan="3"|[[Vietnam Service Medal]] <br />{{small|with 1 silver and 1 bronze [[Campaign star]]s}}
|colspan="3"|[[Army Service Ribbon]]
|colspan="3"|[[Gallantry Cross (South Vietnam)|Vietnamese Gallantry Cross]] <br />{{small|with palm}}
|-
!5th row
|colspan="3"|[[United Nations Korea Medal]]
|colspan="3"|[[Armed Forces Honor Medal|Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal]] <br />{{small|First Class}}
|colspan="3"|[[Vietnam Campaign Medal]]
|colspan="3"|[[Korean War Service Medal]]
|-
!Badges
|colspan="4"|[[Parachutist badge#Examples of other parachutist badges from around the world|United Kingdom Parachutist badge]]
|colspan="4"|[[Parachutist badge#Examples of other parachutist badges from around the world|South Vietnamese Parachutist badge]]
|colspan="4"|[[Parachutist Badge (United States)#Master Parachutist Badge|Master Parachutist Badge]]
|-
!Tabs
|colspan="6"|[[Special Forces Tab]]
|colspan="6"|[[Ranger Tab]]
|-
!Unit awards
|colspan="4"|[[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]] <br />{{small|with 1 [[Oak leaf cluster]]}}
|colspan="4"|[[Valorous Unit Award]]
|colspan="4"|[[Meritorious Unit Commendation]]
|-
!Unit awards
|colspan="4"|[[Vietnam Presidential Unit Citation]]
|colspan="4"|[[Gallantry Cross (South Vietnam)|Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation]]
|colspan="4"|[[Civil Actions Medal|Vietnam Civil Actions Medal Unit Citation]]
|}

{{col-end}}
===Other decorations===
* Beckwith also earned 8 [[Overseas Service Bar]]s, the [[Expert Infantryman Badge]], the [[United States Army Special Forces|Special Forces]] [[Distinctive unit insignia]], [[Combat Service Identification Badge]]s from the [[101st Airborne Division]], [[82nd Airborne Division]], [[United States Army Special Forces|Army Special Forces]], and [[Delta Force]].<ref name=COLBeckwith/>

==See also==
* [[Richard J. Meadows|Richard Meadows]]
* [[List of Delta Force members]]

==Citations==
{{Reflist}}

==General and cited references==
* {{Cite book |last1=Beckwith |first1=Charlie A. |last2=Knox |first2=Donald |last3=Mobley |first3=C. A. |date=2000 |title=Delta Force: The Army's Elite Counterterrorist Unit |url=https://archive.org/details/deltaforcearmyse00beck |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=Avon Books |isbn=978-0380809394}}

== External links ==
* {{commons category-inline}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beckwith, Charles}}
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:1994 deaths]]
[[Category:Burials at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery]]
[[Category:Delta Force]]
[[Category:Members of the United States Army Special Forces]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Atlanta]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Silver Star]]
[[Category:Special Air Service officers]]
[[Category:United States Army colonels]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War]]
[[Category:Midtown High School (Atlanta) alumni]]