A decade after adoption of the black beret for all soldiers outraged Special Forces units, the Army has done an about-face.
Effective today, the black beret — the special privilege of the highly trained Ranger Regiment until a 2001 rule change — will be replaced by the traditional patrol cap in the everyday combat outfit.
Gary Tallman, an Army spokesman, said yesterday that the change was part of a “discussion of practicality” taking place among the troops; the berets, made of itchy wool, were uncomfortable to wear in the heat and offered no protection from the sun.
Surveys and discussions with soldiers during base visits showed the beret to be roundly reviled as everyday headgear. Soldiers will still be issued berets when they enlist, Tallman says, but they will only be part of their more formal dress uniforms.
For Rangers, who switched their beret colors to tan after the 2001 change, the new regulations don’t go far enough.
“I got an email today from a friend in the Special Forces today that said, ‘I wouldn’t get too excited about this,’ ” said Sandee Rouse, the mother of a Ranger who died in combat in Panama in 1989, and the organizer of a 2001 protest hike against the rule change.
For Jason Baker, a retired Ranger who also served in the Panama invasion, the news conjured up memories of the frustration he felt when the beret was taken away from the special units.
“I was disgusted” when the rules were changed, said Baker.
Back then, he said, the black beret was a symbol of pride and distinction for Rangers, something young soldiers aspired to one day earn.
“If a guy disgraced themselves, you would say, ‘You don’t deserve to wear that beret,’ ” Baker said. “A lot of honor and history and pride went into putting that beret on your head.”
Nowadays, he went on, “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a guy wearing a beret in an airport and they’re wearing it against regulation, sliding off their head like they work at a pizza shop.”
Then again, the Ranger veterans say, a lot has changed since 2001, when headwear felt worth fighting for.
“I think that might be an issue that’s been resolved,” said John Chester, the president of the 75th Ranger Regiment Association. “Today, these young men have gone through a dozen deployments, some of them, they’ve seen friends die, gone through hell over and over again. You really think a hat matters that much to them at this point?”
Joshua.Hersh@thedaily.com
Effective today, the black beret — the special privilege of the highly trained Ranger Regiment until a 2001 rule change — will be replaced by the traditional patrol cap in the everyday combat outfit.
Gary Tallman, an Army spokesman, said yesterday that the change was part of a “discussion of practicality” taking place among the troops; the berets, made of itchy wool, were uncomfortable to wear in the heat and offered no protection from the sun.
Surveys and discussions with soldiers during base visits showed the beret to be roundly reviled as everyday headgear. Soldiers will still be issued berets when they enlist, Tallman says, but they will only be part of their more formal dress uniforms.
For Rangers, who switched their beret colors to tan after the 2001 change, the new regulations don’t go far enough.
“I got an email today from a friend in the Special Forces today that said, ‘I wouldn’t get too excited about this,’ ” said Sandee Rouse, the mother of a Ranger who died in combat in Panama in 1989, and the organizer of a 2001 protest hike against the rule change.
For Jason Baker, a retired Ranger who also served in the Panama invasion, the news conjured up memories of the frustration he felt when the beret was taken away from the special units.
“I was disgusted” when the rules were changed, said Baker.
Back then, he said, the black beret was a symbol of pride and distinction for Rangers, something young soldiers aspired to one day earn.
“If a guy disgraced themselves, you would say, ‘You don’t deserve to wear that beret,’ ” Baker said. “A lot of honor and history and pride went into putting that beret on your head.”
Nowadays, he went on, “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a guy wearing a beret in an airport and they’re wearing it against regulation, sliding off their head like they work at a pizza shop.”
Then again, the Ranger veterans say, a lot has changed since 2001, when headwear felt worth fighting for.
“I think that might be an issue that’s been resolved,” said John Chester, the president of the 75th Ranger Regiment Association. “Today, these young men have gone through a dozen deployments, some of them, they’ve seen friends die, gone through hell over and over again. You really think a hat matters that much to them at this point?”
Joshua.Hersh@thedaily.com
