Local JROTC Instructor Claims He Was ‘This Close’ to Delta Selection Before a Torn ACL and Custody Battle Took Him Out
The instructor shared his Delta Force near-miss during 3rd period, citing a torn ACL, legal sabotage, and what he described as “Tier 1-level betrayal.”
FORT HENRICO, VA — Local JROTC instructor Rick Halpern broke his weekly silence during 3rd period Tuesday to remind his students, unprompted, that he was “this close” to making Delta Force before a torn ACL, a surprise custody hearing, and what he calls “some light deep state interference” ended his selection.
In a riveting lecture that reportedly lasted all of 3rd period and spilled over into lunch detention, local JROTC instructor MSG (Ret.) Rick “Big Gunz” Halpern recounted, again, how he was this close to making it into Delta Force before “life got in the way.”
Wearing his full ACU uniform (with Oakleys, gloves, and a custom “GOD BLESS SNIPERS” patch), Halpern took the opportunity during a land navigation lesson to veer wildly into his personal war story saga, which included alleged Black Hawk jumps, “classified stuff,” and a 2003 injury he described as “career-ending, marriage-ending, and kinda spiritual too.”
“Selection? Buddy, I was in it. Not just ‘in it’, I was outperforming the cadre,” said Halpern, to no one in particular, while eating beef jerky from a thigh pocket.
“I was already limping from the ACL tear,” Halpern continued, eyes misty with tactical regret, “when I got served custody papers in the mail room at Bragg. Mid-selection. They knew exactly when to strike. Psychological warfare, man. Judges, lawyers, it was all part of the op.”
He alleges the legal ambush was coordinated by his ex-wife, a woman he refers to only as “Medusa,” who allegedly “weaponized the system to derail a Tier One career.”
Halpern, who served honorably as a motor pool NCO and deployed once to Kuwait (Camp Arifjan, 2007–2008), has been the JROTC instructor at Fort Henrico High since 2015. He is known for saluting the lunch ladies, referring to the gym as a “kill house,” and calling roll call “stand-to.”
Sources confirm he has told the Delta story at least 47 times, including once during a fire drill.
“It’s always ‘almost made Delta,’ never like, ‘did the paperwork,’” said sophomore Cadet Corporal Tyler Jennings. “I just wanted to learn how to iron my uniform. Instead he showed us a PowerPoint titled ‘The Deep State and You: A Tactical Threat Overview.’”
Several staff members report that Halpern keeps a laminated copy of his DD-214 on his desk and has filed three separate complaints about not being allowed to teach Close Quarters Battle in the parking lot.
“He asked if we could ‘field strip’ the lunchroom tables to simulate battlefield conditions,” said Principal Linda Croft. “I said no. He asked if that was an order. I said yes. He saluted and walked away muttering about ‘ROE going soft.’”
Despite numerous parental concerns, Halpern remains popular among a certain demographic of students, primarily those who’ve read Lone Survivor four times and believe Metal Gear Solid is a documentary.
When reached for comment, Halpern simply whispered, “You never really leave the fight,” before disappearing behind the bleachers in full camo.
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