Army Troops to Wear Rangers’ Black Berets

Around this home of the glory-covered Army Rangers, the black beret is a badge of honor recognized even by children.

The distinctive headgear, tilted in a way that gives those who wear it a fearsome swagger, is worn only by the Rangers, a small, elite force that is tapped for some of the most hazardous and demanding missions.

But starting this summer, as part of an Army push to boost morale, all soldiers, right down to private, will wear the black beret, regardless of whether they work in the motor pool or lead commando raids.

Emmett Hiltibrand, a retired Ranger and Vietnam War veteran from nearby Columbus, Ga., said most Rangers don’t like it but have been ordered not to discuss it.

“The Rangers are not Rangers just to wear the beret,” said Hiltibrand, president of the 75th Ranger Regiment Assn. “They are Rangers because they are a different cut of cloth. The Rangers have made the black beret famous, and it belongs to them.”

The decision came from Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki, who hoped the black beret would be a symbol of unity that would show that “soldiers of the world’s best army are committed to making ourselves even better.” The move takes effect June 14, the Army’s birthday.

All Army soldiers will wear the black berets with dress or casual uniforms, or with combat fatigues while in garrison. In the field, they will continue to wear the baseball-style cap or Kevlar helmet. The beret will replace the current fold-up “overseas” cap, the saucer-like “service” cap and the baseball-style cap.

Currently, only three types of units are authorized to wear berets: Airborne units wear maroon berets, Special Forces wear green (and are known as the Green Berets) and Rangers wear black.

An editorial in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer said: “Issuing a beret to every soldier who is sworn into the Army is like putting a Cadillac hood ornament on a Pinto.”

The 2,000-member Ranger force is one of the most storied units in U.S. history. It is often used for missions that require lightning strikes.

The Rangers were the first soldiers to scale the cliffs at Omaha Beach on D-Day in World War II. They parachuted into Panama in 1989 and went to Somalia in 1992-93. During that mission, 18 Americans--including six Rangers from Ft. Benning--were killed in a failed attempt to capture a Somali warlord.

Rangers are put through punishing training that includes five-mile runs at six to seven minutes per mile, 15- to 30-mile marches with 90-pound rucksacks and at least one parachute jump each week. They practice urban warfare in mock villages.

Two former Rangers--Dave Scott of Bozeman, Mont., and David Nielsen of Leesburg, Va.--are marching 700 miles from Ft. Benning to Washington to protest the wider use of the black beret.

“If everyone is issued a black beret without meeting the Ranger standards, it will completely diminish the value of the beret,” Scott said.

Along Victory Drive, a strip of businesses that caters to the 100,000 soldiers and family members at Ft. Benning, some ordinary soldiers said they liked the idea of wearing berets and believe they will boost morale but wish the general had picked a color other than black.

“It’s like we’re taking away something they worked hard to get,” said Staff Sgt. Dimitri Crowell, a transportation specialist.

Just off the post is Ranger Joe’s Barber Shop, where soldiers go for “high-and-tight” haircuts.

Ranger Joe’s also has a store that sells uniforms, arctic sleeping bags, glow-in-the-dark watches and knives. One of the store’s specialties is a pre-shaped beret, steamed and shaved of fuzz, that adds more panache than a standard-issue beret. The store has the black berets with a blue patch that ordinary soldiers will wear.

Earl Brannon, 60, said he and the eight other barbers at Ranger Joe’s called their congressman to object to the black beret plan.

The Baltimore Ravens “worked all year to win the Super Bowl and get a ring,” he said. “Why not give the whole National Football League a ring?”