Berets of the United States Army

In the United States military, the beret was unofficially worn by a variety of special operations units during and following World War II. In the spring of 1951, the 10th and 11th Ranger Companies wore black berets during their training at Camp Carson, Colorado, before their deployment to Japan.

In the post-Vietnam era, morale in the U.S. Army waned. In response, from 1973 through 1979 Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA), permitted local commanders to encourage morale-enhancing uniform distinctions. Consequently, many units embraced various color berets, for example armor and armored cavalry units often adopted the black beret. Similarly, many other units embraced various colored berets in an attempt to improve dwindling morale. In particular, the First Cavalry Division assigned various colored berets to its three-pronged TRICAP approach. In this implementation, armored cavalry, airmobile infantry units, air cavalry units, division artillery units, and division support units all wore different colored berets, including black, light blue, kelly green, and red.

A US Army Medical Corps officer wearing black female beret with Officer Cap Device, circa 1975[4]

Former commanding officer of US Army Ranger School Class 11-71, wearing the black beret with his Ranger Tab, 1971[5]

A U.S. Army NCO with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment wearing black beret, circa 1970s[6]

A US Army NCO with the Military District of Washington wearing black beret, 2008

A black beret was authorized for wear by female soldiers in 1975, but was of a different design than men's berets. It was unofficially worn by some armored, armored cavalry, and some other troops. Today, the black beret is worn by regular soldiers of the U.S. Army.[7]

On January 30, 1975, it was officially allowed to be worn by the newly created battalions of United States Army Rangers who had worn it unofficially during the Vietnam War. In 1978, Army Chief of Staff Bernard Rogers required all units to adhere to the uniform regulation AR 670-1, which had not been updated to authorize the black beret for Rangers. In 1979 the new Army chief of staff, GEN Edward C. Meyers, directed that the black beret be authorized wear by Ranger units only. AR 670-1 was updated in 1980 to include this provision.

In 2001, the black beret became the primary headgear for both the service uniform (in garrison setting) and dress uniform for all United States Army troops unless the soldier is approved to wear a different distinctive beret. In 2011, the Army changed back to the patrol cap for primary wear with the utility uniform, with the beret remaining the headgear for the dress uniform.[8]

A soldier from the 1st SFAB wearing a brown beret, 2018

The brown beret was created in 2018 for soldiers of the U.S. Army's then-new Security Force Assistance Command and it's brigades or SFABs.[9] Soldiers assigned to the command and its brigades are authorized to wear the brown beret—with a brigade specific beret flash and distinctive unit insignia (DUI)—to recognize these new specialized units whose core mission is to conduct training, advising, assisting, enabling, and accompanying operations with allied and partner nations. According to an official U.S. Army article, "SFAB soldiers will be on the ground with their partners - fighting side-by-side with them in all conditions, so the brown beret symbolizes dirt or mud akin to the 'muddy boots' moniker given to leaders who are always out with the troops."[10]

Then CPT Dan McKinney—one of the Sơn Tây raiders—with the US Army Infantry School's Airborne Department, circa 1973

Then 1LT Alexander Woody with 1st Battalion, 504th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division at a ceremony for the U.S. Army's birthday, 2012

In 1943 General Frederick Browning, commander of the British First Airborne Corps, granted a battalion of the U.S. Army's 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment honorary membership in the British Parachute Regiment and authorized them to wear British-style maroon berets. During the Vietnam War, U.S. military advisers to Vietnamese airborne units often wore the Vietnamese French-style red beret.

HQDA policy from 1973 through 1979 permitted local commanders to encourage morale-enhancing distinctions. Airborne forces chose to wear the maroon beret as a mark of distinction. This permission was rescinded in 1979 when the army Chief of Staff, GEN Bernard Rogers, required all units to adhere to the uniform regulation (AR 670-1). On 28 November 1980, the updated regulation authorized airborne (parachute) organizations to resume wearing the maroon beret. In the interim, airborne units wore baseball caps with silver wings and the oval flash above the rank badge with the fatigue uniform, and the overseas cap with glider and parachute patch with the dress green uniform.

SPC James Smith from 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment wearing black beret with original beret flash—note the white border around the flash—circa 1993

COL Richard Clarke from 75th Ranger Regiment wearing tan beret with new beret flash—note the black border around the flash—circa 2007

On 14 June 2001, U.S. Army Rangers assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment and the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade were authorized to wear a distinctive tan beret to replace the black berets that had recently become the army-wide standard. The color was chosen by the members of the 75th Ranger Regiment as being similar to other elite units with similar missions worldwide, notably the British, Australian and New Zealand Special Air Service regiments.

The change in color also required modification of the associated beret flashes worn by the Ranger units, changing the borders from white to black in order to provide better contrast to the lighter beret.

• 
  Original 75th Ranger Regiment Beret Flash
• 
  Current 75th Ranger Regiment Beret Flash

A special forces detachment from 8231st Army Unit, U.S. Army Japan prepare for a combat dive training operation near Okinawa, Japan in 1956, wearing their green berets prior to their approved wear in 1961 (circa 1956).

Former JFK Special Warfare Center and School Command Chief Warrant Officer wearing his green beret, circa 2018

In the United States Army, the green beret may be worn only by soldiers awarded the Special Forces Tab, signifying they have qualified as Special Forces soldiers.

U.S. Army Special Forces wear the green beret because of their link to the British Commandos of World War II. The first Ranger unit, commonly known as Darby's Rangers, was formed in Northern Ireland during the summer of 1942. On completion of training at the Commando Training Depot at Achnacarry Castle in Scotland, those Rangers had the right to wear the British Commando green beret, but it was not part of the regulation uniform at the time and was disallowed by the U.S. Army. [11]

The 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) had many veterans of World War II and Korea in its ranks when it was formed in 1952. Members of the 10th SFG began to unofficially wear a variety of berets while training, some favoring the red or maroon airborne beret, the black beret, or the green commando beret. In 1953, a beret whose design was based on that of the Canadian Army pattern, and which was rifle-green in color, was chosen for wear by Special Forces units.

Their new headgear was first worn at a retirement parade at Fort Bragg on 12 June 1955 for Lt. Gen. Joseph P. Cleland, the now-former commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps. Onlookers thought that the commandos were a foreign delegation from NATO.[12]

In 1956 Gen. Paul D. Adams, the post commander at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, banned its wear, even though it was worn on the sly when units were in the field or deployed overseas. This was reversed on 25 September 1961 by Department of the Army Message 578636, which designated the green beret as the exclusive headgear of the Army Special Forces.[11]

When visiting the Special Forces at Fort Bragg on 12 October 1961, President John F. Kennedy asked Brig. Gen. William P. Yarborough to make sure that the men under his command wore green berets for the visit. Later that day, Kennedy sent a memorandum that included the line: '"I am sure that the green beret will be a mark of distinction in the trying times ahead".[13] By America's entry into the Vietnam War, the green beret had become a symbol of excellence throughout the U.S. Army. On 11 April 1962 in a White House memorandum to the United States Army, President Kennedy reiterated his view: "The green beret is a symbol of excellence, a badge of courage, a mark of distinction in the fight for freedom".[13] Previously, both Yarborough and Edson Raff had petitioned the Pentagon to allow wearing of the green beret, to no avail.[13]

An Infantryman with 1st Bn, 60th Infantry RGT, 172nd Infantry BDE wearing olive-drab beret, ca. 1970s

Of historical note, an olive drab green beret was worn by artic–qualified soldiers of the U.S. Army's 172nd Infantry Brigade stationed in Alaska from 1973 to 1979 when the US Department of the Army's morale-enhancing order was in force and various colored berets began to be worn by numerous units and branches of the US Army.[11][14][6]

• United States military beret flash
• Military beret