The Man Who Helped Build Delta Force

By FORGOTTEN HISTORY

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Before Mike Vining became one of the most recognizable faces in military internet culture, he had already lived a career few people knew anything about. He entered the Army during the Vietnam War as an explosive ordnance disposal technician, crawling through booby-trapped tunnels and helping destroy hundreds of tons of captured enemy ammunition. Then, in 1978, Vining was recruited into a new counterterrorism unit being built at Fort Bragg. He became one of Delta Force's earliest operators and its first EOD specialist. His career would take him to Desert One during the disastrous attempt to rescue the American hostages in Iran, into combat over Grenada, and eventually into senior positions throughout the American special operations community. Today, many people recognize Mike Vining from the photographs and memes that made his appearance famous online. Far fewer know the remarkable thirty-year military career behind those photographs. This is the story of Mike Vining and his place in th

Tags: The Forgotten History Channel, 10th Legion Pictures, Mike Vining, Mike Vining Delta Force, Delta Force, Delta Force history, 1st SFOD-D, special operations, special forces, US Army, military history, Operation Eagle Claw, Desert One, Iran hostage crisis, Operation Urgent Fury, Grenada invasion, EOD, explosive ordnance disposal, Charlie Beckwith, Delta Force operators