THERE USED TO BE AN ARMY BLUE BERET. WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM?
You’ve probably heard of a military green beret, but have you ever heard of a military blue beret? Berets in the military have been used as a characteristic feature to distinguish certain sets of troops from others. The green beret was used to distinguish the Army Special Forces from other Army positions. But what about the blue berets? Keep reading to learn more about the history behind the blue beret. See more:U.S. Military Dress Uniforms: What Each Branch Wears To Look Their Best
What Was the Blue Beret?
During the 70s, the Army kind of went beret-crazy. Everyone wanted a military beret during that time. After the Vietnam War, the Army’s Chief of Staff, General Frederick Weyand, allowed local commanders to choose a distinctive beret for their units. The purpose of this was to try to boost morale after the Vietnam War. After the Vietnam War ended, so did the draft, and joining the Army once again became a volunteer-only thing. In an attempt to help recruiting and retention efforts, creative campaigns were launched. The campaigns emphasized military pay, travel opportunities, and that you didn’t have to shave off your sideburns. The beret craze was just another inventive way to entice potential volunteers and boost the morale of existing Soldiers.
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division, the air assault division of the Army, chose to rock the blue beret during the 70s. The blue beret was a way for them to distinguish themselves from the “ordinary” maroon-beret wearers of the other airborne units in the Army.
What Happened to the Blue Beret?
The beret era of the military was short-lived, sadly. The beret craze brought about dozens of colors of berets. There were black, blue, maroon, green, brown, and more colors of berets! But a new Army Chief decided to do away with excess berets. General Bernard Rogers decided that there was too much beret diversity in the Army and opted to standardize all headgear in the Army. Thus, the beret-wearing came to an end in 1979. However, only a year later, the new Army Chief of Staff changed the rule again. General Edward Meyer gave selective permission to wear berets. The airborne units would wear the maroon beret, and Ranger units would wear the black beret. But sadly, the blue beret was not allowed back. Eventually, the black beret was permitted to be worn by all Soldiers in any unit as part of their dress uniform.
The New Blue Beret: Air Force Security Forces
Though the 101st Airborne Division did not get their blue beret back, the Air Force Security Services claimed it as their own. The Air Force Security Forces are an elite group of the Air Force, and the beret represents that. Long story short, they’re similar to the police, but for the USAF.
A Brief Beret History
Berets have been a longstanding tradition in the military; they’ve even shown up in the British military! Berets really began during WWII. The famous 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, the first airborne unit in the American Army during WWII, began the beret tradition in 1943. The 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment carried out the first American drop during WWII. The British 1st Airborne Corps gave the 509th Soldiers their red berets; though the beret-wearing was not official, the tradition stuck and is still a symbol of airborne units. The green beret tradition began about a decade later, and it was also in homage to the British. The green berets began to be worn by Special Forces in the field, but it was still not allowed by Army regulations. However, in 1961, President John F. Kennedy visited the Special Forces at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. When he saw them training with their green berets on, he decided to authorize the use of the green beret. The history of the blue beret, though short-lived, is still a fascinating one. The blue beret was used as a distinguishing feature for the 101st Airborne Division of the Army, and now it is used in the elite Air Force Security Forces. The blue beret is just one part of the military’s beret trends, but it’s definitely an interesting one. See more:Breaking Down the Convoluted Title of Brown Berets
The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement. Image by Christopher Carranza 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
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