Rangers Black Beret

 

A 'birth' that began with the Korean Conflict was the Ranger "Black Beret." Conceived of in 1951 by then Captain Charles "Pete" Spragins, commander of the 10th Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne, while training with the 11th Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) at Camp Carson, Colorado, the beret's color was symbolic of much of the Ranger training and combat which took place in the hours of darkness. The Ranger Training Command at Fort Benning, Georgia, evaluated and endorsed the black beret for Ranger use but its official authorization in accordance with regulations by the Department of the Army would not be forthcoming for more than another two decades

 

"Airborne Rangers"

1951

Airborne Rangers Black Beret

 

The 1951 "Airborne Black Ranger Beret"

hada Flashmade from the Ranger Tab,

(Gold and Black Ranger Tab) sewn above a

BlackBackground Trimmings(Oval) with gold

edging surmounted by a parachute badge.

The blending of Airborne and Ranger are thus clearly displayed.

 

The Ranger Tab

was approved by the Chief of Staff,

Army, on 30 October 1950.

 

The Rangers Black Beret

was notauthorized for 25 yaers!!

But worn by Rangers with pride!!

 

Vietnam

"Unauthorized"

Rangers Black Beret

was still unauthorized but clearly a

Ranger tradition was established.

Note: U.S. ArmyRanger also wore the VietnameseBlack Beret during the Vietnam War.

 

Army Regulations 670-5

DatedJanuary 30, 1975

"Rangers Black Beret"

Became an authorized headgear for the Rangers.

 

In 2001 the United States Army

adopted the Black Beret,

previously reserved for the Rangers,

as standard headgear for all army units.

 

The Rangers are now Distinguished by Tan Berets.

The Army must change to maintain its relevance for the evolving strategic environment. To provide our Nation strategic options for mastering the complexity of that environment, The Army committed, in its Vision a year ago, that "as technology allows, we will begin to erase the distinctions between heavy and light forces." In the United States Army, the beret has become a symbol of excellence of our specialty units. Soldiers of the Special Forces, our airborne units, and the Ranger Regiment have long demonstrated such excellence through their legendary accomplishments and unmatched capabilities. Their deployability, versatility, and agility are due, in part, to their organizational structure and equipment. But more significant is their adaptiveness, which keeps them ready to take on any mission, anytime, anyplace.

Today, the distinctive emblem of these units is the wear of the beret. But, over the past 50 years, berets have been worn by a variety of Army formations--airborne, armor, cavalry, infantry, ranger, special forces, and others. The black beret was being worn by formations Army-wide, when it was approved by the Army for wear by the Ranger Regiment in 1975. Today, it remains one of our symbols of excellence in The Army as reflected by its wear in the Ranger Regiment.

We are transforming today's most powerful Army in the world from a Cold War Legacy Force to an Objective Force with early entry capabilities that can operate jointly, without access to fixed forward bases, and still have the power to slug it out and win campaigns decisively (Intent, June 1999). This Transformation will correct the condition in today's Legacy Force where our heavy forces are too heavy, and our light forces lack staying power. To master this strategic transition and to establish the parameters for decisiveness in the 21st century, The Army must become adaptive to be strategically responsive and dominant across the entire spectrum of military operations.

To symbolize The Army's commitment to transforming itself into the Objective Force, The Army will adopt the black beret for wear Army-wide. It is not about increasing recruiting; we achieved our recruiting target of 180,000 recruits last year--without a beret. It is not about retention; for the second year in a row, we exceeded our reenlistment goal by a wide margin--without a beret. It is not about morale; Soldiers are ready today to go into harm's way. It is about our excellence as Soldiers, our unity as a force, and our values as an institution.

Effective 14 June 2001, the first Army birthday in the new millennium, the black beret will become standard wear in The Army--Active and Reserve Components. Sergeant Major of the Army Tilley will lead the effort to craft implementing guidelines, including indoctrination standards that all Soldiers will meet before they are authorized to wear the beret. Special operations and airborne units will retain their distinctive berets.

Soldiers remain the centerpiece of our formation. We will march into the next millennium as The Army--the strategic joint force of choice for the 21st century.

SHINSEKI