Finally, Us Army Replaces Black Beret with Patrol Cap!!

The U.S. Army said Monday that it was abandoning the beret, after a failed 10-year experiment.  This is far overdo in my opinion.  I was in when they made this change and no-one liked it.

The black beret, which proved deeply unpopular with American soldiers, will be replaced by a patrol cap for everyday wear, U.S. Army spokesman Col. Tom Collins said.  The patrol cap is much more comfortable than the beret.

The move came after outgoing Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, asked the Army’s Sergeant Major “to go out and talk to soldiers across the force and see what was on their minds,” Collins said.  ”One of the things that soldiers consistently brought up was the desire to wear the patrol cap as part of their duty uniform,” he said.

The beret will still be part of the Army’s dress uniform, but will no longer be worn in the field as many soldiers complained that it was impractical.  I hated the beret.  It was uncomfortable in hot weather, had no visor to protect from the sun, and served no practical purpose.

Before 2001, the black beret was associated with the elite Rangers Special Operations forces. Many Rangers resented the idea that the hat they had earned the right to wear had been assigned to the entire force.  The change was instituted by, what I believe, was an uppity general with an inferiority complex.  He hated that the Rangers, Special Forces and Airborne units had the berets as their symbol of excellence.  He figured if everyone wore them, there would be no elitism.  It was a bad decision and weakened the force, in my opinion.

The decision does not affect units that have long worn berets as a mark of distinction, including the Rangers’ black beret, Army Special Forces’ green beret, and Airborne’s maroon version.

I only wish this had taken place when I was in.  I am certain that the changes will make many soldiers happy.The decision does not affect units that have long worn berets as a mark of distinction, including the Rangers’ black beret, Army Special Forces’ green beret, and Airborne’s maroon version.