Unknown Vietnam? Beret

[thetrenchman1918]

Need help with info value, time frame etc. appears maroon the patch has a blue background with a lightening bolt going across and orange colored trim, captain bars are just regular uniform captain bars beret appears unmarked and maroonish in color sorry about poor pick,

 

Again any info please let me know..

 

[Tonomachi]

The closet flash I can find that is similar to the flash on your maroon beret is for the 525th Military Intelligence Bde (CEWI) (Abn) with the XVII Airborne Corps. The flash was authorized on October 4, 1983. The only difference is that the flash I'm talking about has the upper diagonal half silver-gray in color with the lower diagonal half oriental blue with a yellow gold border and lighting bolt. Value wise I have no idea but there was a designation change to 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade. See link for short history:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/525th_Battlefield_Surveillance_Brigade

[thetrenchman1918]

Looks sort of similar but if I had to guess, and I could be dead wrong, it just feels older to me Vietnam era maybe and maybe only 80's, going to be hard to put a date on until the patch can be id'd for sure

[doyler]

The flash may be the 313th Military Intelligence Battalion.They wore a blue and orange flash.

 

This looks like a US made beret with liner removed.Berets werent standard til around 1980 as I recall for Airborne forces.Many were authorized on a unit level only

 

Here is a brief history of when the US Airborne adopted the Maroon beret.I dont recall any official US Army units who wore a flash with a lighting bolt

 

US Army advisers to Vietnamese airborne forces wore the Vietnamese French-style red beret during the Vietnam War.^[1]

Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA) policy from 1973 through 1979 permitted local commanders to encourage morale-enhancing distinctions. Airborne forces chose to wear the maroon international parachute beret as a mark of distinction. However due to the variety to headgear utilized at unit level, such as the Stetson being used in cavalry units, this permission was rescinded in 1979 when the army introduced a policy of standardized headgear. Exceptions were allowed for the continued wearing of the black beret (changed to tan in 2001) for the 75th Ranger Regiment & Ranger Training Brigade,^[5] and the green beret for Special Forces. On 28 November 1980 permission was given for airborne organizations to resume wearing the maroon beret. Most U.S. paratroopers refer to it as a red beret, which history and tradition mandates, out of respect for their WWII British allies.^[1]

[thetrenchman1918]

By chance I stumbled across it I think,

 

Any info on: 229th aviation group ?

[thetrenchman1918]

From what I can tell this unit was active during the Vietnam war and inactivated in 1972

 

It as re activated in 1978, I guess was my question is which era is the beret from Vietnam or 80's? And how do I find out

[doyler]

The 229th was the other option.

 

Is the border merrowed or flat on the flash??The ones in the 70s and earl 80s were flat edge.

 

Im not aware that the 229th wore berets that early.

 

Common to see black berets worn in Viet Nam in various units.Im still going with this as a later beret.

[thetrenchman1918]

It does have a merrowed edge, the construction of the beret looks earlier to me but Maybe that is what I am looking for, but it does have a kind piece of cardboard. Where the flash attaches (the stiff part of the beret) which makes me think Mabel locally made?

I would think an 80's beret would not use this construction?

[MattS]

I was in the 229th and wore a beret very much like that. It probably dates from the the early 90s when the 229th was reorganzied as an Apache AHR (Attack Helicopter Regiment) with 4 battalions; 2nd and 4th were at Ft. Rucker, AL, and 1st and 3rd were at Ft. Bragg, NC. Our original flash did not have the lightning bolt, it was added about 1993. Does the flash look like this? If so, you have a post-1993 229th beret.

[thetrenchman1918]

yes it appears you have fund the correct match, darn, still a cool piece but i wish it was older, if any one wants it shoot me a pm as it does not fit with my collection

[MattS]

Here's one of our company commander's beret for comparison. And PM sent!

[mmerc20]

I missed this post. I was in 3rd Bn from 1996-1998 and 1st Bn from 1999-2001. I deployed to Bosnia with them and have a lot of great memories. Nice to see.

 

Mike